Sean Dyche has always loved a strong, reliable backline, and has now completed an evolution of sorts following Jake O’Brien’s £16.5m transfer from Lyon.
Effectively replacing Ben Godfrey, who has moved to Atalanta in a £10m deal, the Toffees are repackaging their defence, bolstering the star partnership of Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski with a “revelation in defence“, according to journalist Zach Lowy.
Now, the full focus must be fixed on centre-forward, for the Goodison Park side need some added impetus up top and Dominic Calvert-Lewin‘s future at the club is up in the air, with Farhad Moshiri and Co ‘braced’ for late-window bids, according to Football Insider.
Everton transfer news
According to Sky Italia’s Marco Demicheli – relayed by Radio Rossonera – Everton have joined West Ham United in fighting to sign AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham, with both clubs said to have lodged a bid for his services.
Formerly of Chelsea, Abraham spent the lion’s share of last season consigned to the injury room, and with the Serie A side searching for a new No. 9 this summer, it might be time for a change.
Despite his recent woes, the 26-year-old has enjoyed a prolific and trophy-laden career, thus transfer-listed for about €30m (£25m).
Why Everton want Tammy Abraham
Supporters have observed their damaging ownership situation with all the impotence of someone watching their garden get ravaged in a storm, but yet the belief and conviction of Dyche, his squad and Everton’s fanbase remains strong.
Last season, despite an eight-point deduction in the Premier League, Everton finished comfortably in 15th place. Despite this and the lack of funds, moves have been made to shore up the Merseysiders’ first team and perhaps step into the top half of the division.
Calvert-Lewin’s resurgence played its part but the 27-year-old still only scored seven Premier League goals, meaning that he has now gone three successive campaigns without hitting the double-figure mark.
Regardless, he went from strength to strength in the later phase after reviving his athleticism somewhat, scoring four goals and supplying one assist across his final six starts and leading The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland to praise him for looking “like the DCL of old“.
But with Newcastle United displaying strong interest in the 6 foot 2 talisman, attention is understandably being turned toward Abraham, with Calvert-Lewin’s countryman possibly even proving to be an upgrade for Dyche and his Everton frontline.
An upgrade on Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Abraham might have been beset with a long-term injury last year but he’s managed to avoid regular setbacks on the fitness front throughout his career and could prove to be an upgrade on Calvert-Lewin in that regard.
Once hailed as a “goal machine” by former coach Stephen Elliott, the £93k-per-week talent signed for the Italian side from Chelsea for about £34m in 2021, notching 48 goal contributions across 107 matches.
Previously, he’d posted 21 goals and four assists across 56 fixtures for Chelsea across 2019-2021, indeed winning the Champions League and offering a worthy focal point in attack.
By comparing Abraham’s best Premier League campaign with Calvert-Lewin’s, we can get a relatively accurate gauge of why the Roma striker might prove to be a masterful signing for the Blues.
What’s actually striking when the data is collated is that the respective forwards are actually quite similar, both capable of enjoying clinical seasons with similar output in regard to shooting regularity, creative support and ball progression.
Calvert-Lewin is better in the duel but this is largely down to his dominant aerial ability. All told, Abraham would be able to perform a similar role having boasted greater goalscoring success over the past few years.
During his first year in Italy, for example, Abraham was remarkable under Jose Mourinho’s wing. Across all competitions during the Conference League-winning season, he plundered a whopping haul of 27 goals and five assists across 53 matches in all competitions.
