Dominic Calvert-Lewin opens up on preparing to beat his injury challenges

Let’s be clear injuries or not he is never a 20-goals-a-season striker!! Before his fans state before his injuries etc, he actually had Gylfi, James, Richarlison and Digne as his supply line. Going forward and with penalties, I think he will be lucky if stayed fit for 10 to 12 league goals a season.

A Dyche inspired signing will be Chris Wood from Newcastle. He went to Forest on loan last season but got injured. Really losing my passion for Everton atm.

Said no Evertonian ever.

We're better with Dom in the side than playing without him.

Given his injury record the last 2 seasons, we need to sign some firepower. That's true.

But calling him a "top striker!!!!!!" is something you made up.

Which leads me to agree that it’s tough in our financial situation to attract a proven goal scorer at the top level, because they’d essentially be coming in as back-up to him as long as he’s healthy. Puts us in a pickle, because as long as he’s with us, he’s first-choice if not injured.

He can score goals given the opportunity, and he may start scoring with McNiel in the team who also can score.

"This obsession with Calvert-Lewin being a top striker!!" – Said no Evertonian ever.

We're better with Dom in the side than playing without him.

But is that because the backup in the squad is so unbelieveably bad rather than him being actually that good?

What do we expect from Calvert-Lewin? Only now to stay fit and play most of the games. Will that happen? I doubt it with his recent track record.

The news I want is not us bringing in 38-year-old full-backs or 19-year-old wingers, we need a striker, a proven one because, if we have to rely on Maupay to get the goals, we are fucked before we start.

The difference between DCL being fit for 38 games next season or being fit for 8 is probably the difference between us finishing 11th/12th or 17th/18th. He makes a massive difference to us. If he’s fit all season he’ll get around 15 goals I reckon. Clearly he’s working hard to give himself the best chance.

I hope that he’s put his worst injury issues behind him and that we buy a good alternative in the (sadly quite probable) eventuality that he hasn’t.

If true, then financially we are a lot worse off than we thought we were.

I’m not much interested in slagging Dom. I thought he brought some of that on himself but it is now tiresome. We know this team plays a hell of a lot better when he is in the side.

So does anyone have a football reason why we shouldn’t give him some support at least until some future breakdown?

And Paul, WE accept that YOUR EVERTON is shite. I’ll let others weigh in but mine’s doing alright for now. Actually that was Mark but I won’t bother for a rephrase.

I hope things improve for him. We know what he is and talk of him being a "top" striker or not are moot. He improves us every time, and his last mini run proved that again. Who else better is likely to join in the coming weeks? Yes, we need backup too.

As has happened throughout the saga, the talk of his injury problems is mostly generalized and vague. Not that I expect all the cards to be laid on the table but it's frustrating to not know the intent or target of this specialist treatment. Whole thing's been a long term mystery.

He makes a massive difference to our team. Good luck to him.

I just hope this regimen works.

Calvert-Lewin hasn't been much use these last couple of years because of his injuries and this has coincided with Everton dropping right down the Premier League.

I'm not saying there aren't other factors but Benitez got off to an okay start and we only fell away once Calvert-Lewin and Mina got injured.

Then we inexplicably started last season without a recognized centre-forward, even though Dominic was injured, and obviously didn't really want Maupay, imo, otherwise we surely wouldn't have waited until we had already played about five games?

What other club operates for so long without having recognized forwards and then slaughters the only decent forward on the books because he suffers from injuries?

Fail to prepare – prepare to fail. We have had two real warnings in the last 15 months; if we don't get some decent cover in certain areas, then I wouldn't expect us to survive a third time.

If all those who had nothing good to say didn't post anything at all, then there would hardly be any threads or posts…

Now isn't that a pleasant thought!!

An interesting player at Fiorentina, Christian Kouamé, an Ivory Coast International, who plays at Centre Forward for them but spends most of his time as a LW / RW at his club.

He's 25 and his contract is up next June. A loan with an option to buy may interest Fiorentina. They loaned him to Anderlecht in 2022 for £1m. That sort of fee is right up our street, these days. In a 187 games as a Centre Forward he's scored 42 goals with 31 assists. He can also cover LW / RW.

Hammers web site now reporting WHU interest in Iwobi. Maybe Dyche wants a swap deal involving Michail Antonio or Danny Ings. If the Iwobo link is right, maybe we told them no to Onana.

Pat #26, perfectly understandable viewpoint, but there are lots of examples of athletes overcoming early-career injury problems, and I'm not ready to give up on him yet.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66180483

Dominic can't help his injuries and has clearly tried of his own volition to get fit and ensure no further injuries.

I think some posters forget how fast and physical the Premier League is, especially for a lone striker which he has had to be most of his senior career.

I'm hoping for an injury-free season and some more support to take the weight off.

If we can get him performing to his best for 70 minutes a game and have decent backup that will do for me.

Onana pulled out of Belgium's squad last month with a groin injury. Might still be dealing with that.

A young striker will be bought in to replace Simms (Rondon's replacement.)

https://tbrfootball.com/everton-could-move-to-sign-rapid-english-striker-who-jurgen-klopp-says-is-a-proper-proper-player/

He looked like he was conserving his energy but he also looks like he can finish. We will see.

Ian @1 moans that he was good when he had a good supply... Strikers need a supply!! Kane wouldn't get 20 a season in our team with our non-existent creative midfield.

Give the lad a break. As his comments hint to, he's rushed his recovery and comebacks to help the side, it's affected him and some blame the lad.

At least he's tried, at least he's prepared to put his body on the line for the shirt. Isn't that the type of player we all want?? Isn't that the very definition of what is the minimum we as blues demand?

We have a lad doing it for us and some fans have crucified him for the repercussions that he's suffering.

Get Back, Dom, prove them wrong!!!

He played 136 league games in the 4 seasons before picking up the series of injuries – fractured toe, quad, knee and then hammy. So, it is not even one particular area of concern.

A lot of people are going to eat humble pie when Calvert-Lewin proves them all wrong.

Well, more than likely he will be Simms's replacement then. A different type of player, which gives Dyche an alternative. More likely to see a back-up central defender come in.

Maybe an attempt at a last-minute bargain or joint deal if they get lucky and sell someone of value. The player coming in will be at least 50% less in value if not even less. May be even a loan. Transfer business complete or rather run out of time.

Thought they may have given Danjuma a go, but he probably upset them with his last-minute change of mind. Townsend's injury, which was stupid, must have ruled him out. He was better than what they have been looking out, when fit.

Dyche is going to have to get the squad in better shape with more cohesiveness to get through the season, because hoping on players coming in is going to be a long shot.

If he stays fit he will score or create 15-20 goals across a season. Difference between being in the Bottom 4 and mid-table.

He is a class above any other strikers we have in the club.

Therefore if he won't take up the clubs offer of a new contract, we have no choice, given the financial havoc Kenwright and Moshiri have made of the club.

I personally hope he signs a new contract though doubt he will, given the mess we are in at present.

We haven't seen much of him since then, but he went to Germany even before pre-season to get ready for the new season, give him a bit of credit.

I'd be thrilled with a fit Calvert-Lewin this season, we'd definitely be mid-table, and to be honest, a fit Calvert-Lewin would make most teams in the Premier League.

He missed a sitter at Stoke a yard from goal some years ago that someone else then netted and I realised he didn't have "it". Add in his fragility and the fact is we desperately need a robust upgrade.

Another totem of our descent.

The biggest challenge this window that must be met head on is getting a striker in who can challenge Calvert-Lewin for the starting spot, and add essential strength in depth to the goal-scoring department.

Ideally someone who is predominantly a striker but can play across the front three positions, all bases covered.

Ideally someone who is aerially strong.

Ideally someone who can hold the ball up and lay it off.

Ideally someone who could play alongside DCL when the situation demands it.

Ideally who doesn't cost too much.

And last but not least ideally someone who can score 10 goals+.

If they can find such a player, if necessary, spend the money. (If there is any) and wheel and deal the rest.

If he didn't have that terrible quad injury, I wouldn't have been at all surprised if he'd given us 18-20 goals. His goal return was improving year-by-year at that point.

What I was getting at was Ian's completely made-up, "This obsession with Calvert-Lewin being a top striker!!". Which he then argued furiously against.

Who ever said that? Have you? I haven't.

So it was that I was responding to. Ian's completely fake circumstance to "complain" about.

Calvert-Lewin is fine with me. We need him fit and healthy.

Great point by Rob Halligan regarding that crucial equalising goal away at Leicester. Alex had a relatively poor first half and made an error yet he stepped up once again and was excellent in the second half of that game, making fools of those who said he should have been hauled off at the break.

Wrong — you do not haul off your best player, particularly a player that goes to the very end and finishes games physically strong and still full of running and endeavour.

We are trading into the abyss right now, I would sooner keep Iwobi till the end of the season and lose him on a free next summer, the financial hit from relegation is far too great and as things stand, we are currently even weaker than last season thanks in part to the idiotic decision to not offer Mina a contract extension.

We will not be getting players in of the quality of Yerry and Alex any time soon. I cannot blame Iwobi for wanting to jump ship, the club is in turmoil and signing a 38-year-old to fill the squad sends out appalling signals to the (few) players that actually remain.

If so, Everton will have a hard-working striker who also holds the ball up for others to get forward and keeps the opposition fully occupied instead of the ball being easily won and putting our defence under constant pressure.

We saw the difference Dominic made in the few games he played after a long layoff before he unfortunately broke down again.

He was getting there.

2019-20 season: 13 goals
2020-21 season: 16 goals

So, if he would have stayed fit and on the trajectory, he would be there now – bigger, stronge,r scoring 20-odd a season.

Everton make transfer decision on Jordan Pickford and Dominic Calvert-Lewin as Sean Dyche has to sell before he buys

Everton have informed Jordan Pickford and Dominic Calvert-Lewin that they can leave the club this summer.

As reported by Football Transfers (12 July) Sean Dyche will need to sell a number of first-team stars before he can go shopping in the transfer market.

Despite their high-profile positions within the first-team set-up, goalkeeper Pickford and striker Calvert-Lewin are reportedly not off-limits for prospective buyers.

Alex Iwobi has also been made available for transfer with West Ham registering an interest in the Nigeria international.

We won't have a team left!

We are relegation bound!

Players are always better when they are injured and are not playing. Christy – "… and to be honest, a fit Calvert-Lewin would make most teams in the Premier League." Really???

There's no way Moshiri is that barmy, it's a certain way to get us relegated, is it not? I don't know why I'm even commenting on it.

We will do okay this season, Dyche always gives the impression that nothing fazes him, he will get the very best out of the players if I'm any judge at all.

I honestly can't believe Evertonians aren't more angry. Mind you, that's what you get after 20-odd years of brainwashing and being bent over and fucked by Kenwright and his mates.

Given Dominic's well-documented injury record over the past two seasons, it seems unlikely that a club will come waving a bundle of cash for him.

He's a good player. He has been trying hard to regain his fitness, I hope he is successful and performs well for us in the coming season.

I've never known that website get anything right yet! And if it's that Goodison News who first broke this ridiculous rumour, then we can all sleep easy tonight.

Being optimistic, I'm glad he's putting the work in and hopefully these injuries can start to lessen a bit.

Do you really think you're funny? Always negative.

Geoff #66,

Dom was an English International and Arsenal and Newcastle were sniffing around when he was fit???

How much is that player ideally?

He was (if fully fit) capable of scoring ten goals or more which would have at least spared us the indignity we almost suffered at the end of the season.

He isn't a prolific scorer but he leads the line quite well and if he does get fully fit again I would like to see him do well this coming season.

Our fingers are crossed but Everton still need some solid support for him up front.

Can we actually get a striker of his calibre and experience to come to Everton at the moment? I very much doubt it. How many strikers have come and gone while hes been here ? He's A player above the level we could expect to attract. Like pickford.

Iwobi is different he has a decent value if transfered yet I'm sure we could attract a player to do what he brings and a bit more. Who also fits better into the overall system of tge team.
Hes done good for us but I don't see dyche fancying him long term if there are genuine wingers available.

Id say iwobi, gray & Holgate are the 3 I'd sacrifice to now fund some signings.

If anyone offers us £15M plus for a fit and healthy Iwobi, then we should rip their arms off and run.

I love Everton and have done for a long time. Seen us win it all. But I hate Kenwright cos he's a fraud and has run this club into ground through a managed decline to suit his ego.

But I can still laugh (and moan) about it. Which is why I'm not a kopite.

If he can score 12-15 goals that would be great, especially if they are as good as his goal against Palace that kept us in the top flight. Some people on here have very short memories.

The fact that he is putting the effort in to regain fitness is clearly an annoyance to those on TW who were dismissing him as a malingerer last season and who are now saying he's not good enough.

Face the facts. Maupay was the best we could come up with when the situation was desperate. He made it even worse, so I'm not confident of our getting a prolific scorer in any time soon. I'm just hoping that the youngsters will improve enough to provide decent cover and Maupay departs asap.

Calvert-Lewin got 16 goals when being serviced by James, Gylfi, Digne and Richarlison. Everton have nowhere near those creative type players.

Calvert-Lewin is past his sell-by date.

"Btw, there are some humourless twats on here."

Give us a laugh for a change, Nick!

Breaking news.

Everton have made a short-term appointment of a first team cleaner to stand in for Bertha Muggins, who is set to undergo mind manipulation to help her recover from her mop handle being broken. Apparently she herself broke the mop by twatting Bill Kenwright over the head when she asked about any fucking relevant news about Everton.

No news was given so she took what she thought was appropriate action. Kenwright is suing Everton for injuries and mental anguish. Mr Moshiri has promised he will have a top lawyer in place for his friend in his quest for justice. An Everton spokesman said we have nothing to say.

I thought it was funny but again I'm a moaner apparently 😀

Paul, you’ve been working the doom story for a while so asking for humor does look a bit creepy. Stop posting like you want to affect others’ emotions and just take a controversial position without all the follow up. It makes it look like you wanted the action more than you believe what you said.

Iwobi became our most influential player so must stay regardless of his contract ending next year. We have already sold too many key players.

We were atrocious last season bar the odd game. The squad is a lot weaker right now and with every indication that there is zero to spend we are looking vulnerable to say the least.

We thought that Bill Kenwright was our main villain and the reason the club is a mess but Bill himself found somebody to outdo him in ineptitude, stupidity and arrogance.

Moshiri may have set up the new stadium but we don't even know if it will ever be ours. He wants his money back (or Usmanov's money) and judging by his decisions to appoint Benitez and Allardyce, talk to us fans via a third person and keep Bill on whilst hailing him as some kind of saviour shows both his lack of intelligence and care for the clubs future, it's history and the fans.

We have become a plaything for anyone with a bit of money and who likes to gamble and I'm sure MSP are not in it to lose (if they are actually in it).

Wish I could just fast forward 5 years to get this over with.

Meanwhile, ToffeeWeb goes on year after year seeking to try to largely ignore that one lethal elephant in our midst, in favour of seriously critical so-called analysis of the bog-standard players, coaches, and managers he's been very chiefly responsible for signing, to our horrendous cost.

You couldn't make it up!

We really do need immediately to be rid of Kenwright and any and every employee loyal to him.

The Pickford to Calvert-Lewin direct route combo with players feeding off the first ball creates a lot of trouble for teams pushing too many men forwards. It will ease the pressure from the back.

I really hope this is an injury-free season for him and he can get back on track.

Official statements, wheeled-out players, press releases, Moshiri's personal PR and Jimmy White and his yellow tie are the direct channels. It is obvious where they come from... They have a 'control the narrative' feel about them. They are often barefaced and the fans are told anything to get them out the door.

At the end of the transfer window, the threadbare 5 percent will be the result. Thelwell, like Brands, on Deadline Day will be walking his big dog. The truth is, he could walk his big dog most of the Summer.

Same cause. Same desire. Wanting the same outcome. Different ways of expressing it. Born of frustration. Good 90s tune by the Manchester band James, by the way.

That's probably what Kenwright has been good at over the years. Divide and conquer. Or maybe just ignore. Some Evertonians, especially the greatest ever in his own mirror, are more equal than others.

Don't let him. Stay unified. That is when we are strongest. They are already cornered and can't ignore it for much longer.

"Don't listen to the peasants. They don't understand Everton like me."

I can almost hear those words being whispered in a hypnotic way into the ear of Moshiri. For those old enough the recall, the Septic Peg character springs to mind. Look into my ball.

On Calvert-Lewin, I don't think he'll ever be prolific, but let's remember a few things. He has generally played in a poor and struggling teams, often isolated up front without supply. And from a young age with a lot of expectation on young shoulders.

That's not an excuse, I was worried last season that we had burned him out. My concern was he could be done at the highest level by 30, which shouldn't be the case in the modern game. Rooney and Owen spring to mind, there are probably other examples. Too much too young to steal a line from a Ska song.

I appreciate lifestyle and attitude plays a part. and everyone's body and mentality is different. But I, for one, am always cautious of expecting to much too early. Manage young talent appropriately. Consider that with Branthwaite, who many are pinning hopes on. Likewise, McNeil, Patterson, Mykolenko and Onana.

Right now, we need Dominic fit and focussed back on his football. His words in the interview suggest he is, so that is encouraging. He should be going into his peak. We need to supply him.

But, through fear of stating the obvious, we seriously need competition and back up. Call it what you want.

He has skill, strength and is an athlete, which may explain his injury problems. The modern footballer is much more physically finely tuned, so it is natural that they will break down more often. Fast players with hamstrings for example. I also think he looked like he had been hitting the gym too much. Not great for footballers in my opinion.

Taking his words at face value, I am encouraged that he is being positive about getting fit and getting back on the pitch on a more regular basis.

He may not be that 15- to 20-goals-a-season striker we crave, but he has shown us what he can do when fully charged and supported. And he contributes to the team. He has shown us what he can do.

The initial flourish under Ancelotti. That goal against Palace that I can still visualise. A crucial early moment at Brighton on the south coast, when he signposted Lewis Dunk towards France as he turned him inside out, leaving him heading in the opposite direction, to set up Doucoure. Who, as pointed out, weighed in with a few crucial goals playing in a more forward position towards the end of the season.

Get fit, stay fit and stay focussed.

Don't stop, Danny, not until what Don @97 calls for in his last paragraph actually happens. I don't believe for one minute that Moshiri wants anything to do with Bill Kenwright anymore but, if he does, it can only be to hide his own embarrassing deficiencies. Hopefully the time for real change is going to happen now.🤞

Bill Kenwright has played every trick and could really write a book on the subject to usurp all others. The very fact he is still carrying on and doing the same thing shows he has no other skill set. The club will be in much better shape for his removal and a lot of our angst, and frustration will dissipate.

A fit and functioning Calvert-Lewin is a significant asset. He, patently, is trying very hard to return to a continuing level of fitness where he can make an effective and consistent contribution. However, according to many of you, he is wasting his time because he will never be good enough.

With no money to buy a striker under the age of 35, we should condemn to the scrapheap one we already have who just might do a decent job for us?

"Meanwhile, ToffeeWeb goes on year after year seeking to try to largely ignore that one lethal elephant in our midst."

I don't think we can let that one pass without some response. Whether you mean 'ToffeeWeb' as in the pages we present and the items we publish on here, or the posters who contribute their views, in both senses, I think you are being not a little disingenuous.

If you mean the posters, I suspect any casual reader could not miss the fact that criticism of Kenwright – ranging from analytical to barbed to downright offensive – is rife on most threads. Likely reflecting the more vocal fraction of the fanbase, as you would reasonably expect.

Taking the material we publish, half of that is mainstream Everton 'news' which is going to be very light on criticism of Kenwright for the obvious reasons we all know… and most of us accept are never likely to change.

The other half, that comes from independent contributors, of course reflects plenty of criticism of Kenwright and the regime he has ruled over for far too long. It may not be as much as you want to see but – beyond commissioning you and Tony to each write a lengthy daily rant – I would venture there's really not much more we can or should be doing.

Anyone who wants to write the kind of diatribe you seem to crave is of course free to send it in for publication. But I would respectfully suggest there is a realistic limit to just how much of it we can stomach on a daily basis.

All-in-all, I don't think any of this equates to us seeking to try to largely ignore the issue.

We still need another striker obviously but the team and squad will be much better with a fit DCL. If fit, he’ll easily score double figures, which is a massive step to not being in the relegation fight come May.

Every article descends into the same thing. We're all frustrated. The vast, vast majority of us want Kenwright gone and are sick to the stomach that he's still at the club after such a disastrous tenure.

But this is a largely positive article that's been hijacked. It's boring.

I recently posted something where I pointed out the entirely relevant and true 'fact' that chairmen of Premier League football clubs don't and shouldn't comment on transfer rumours on daft websites like Footy Transfers- When annother poster was rinsing Kenwright for not communicating on some made up story. I even caveated it by saying something along the lines of ‘I can't stand the man….'

Only to get a load of abuse and be accused of being a Kenwright lover?!!

The cognitive dissonance is mind blowing at times.

For what it's worth I agree that TW posts plenty of critical articles about Kenwright. But when a post about a player putting in extra work to get fit gets hijacked with negativity and unrelated comments, you're right-it gets hard to stomach. It's exhausting.

I thought we went through all this recently, albeit on another thread... which is where I will probably move this conversation.

While there used to be a requirement that you had to be a shareholder to sit on the Everton Board of Directors, and the chairman is selected from the directors on the board, his shareholding does not entitle Kenwright to be Chairman. Far from it.

Strictly, as a director himself now, I imagine the protocol would be for a new chairman to be proposed by Moshiri, presumably with Kenwright resigning or just stepping down. The more important decision would be to have Kenwright removed from the board altogether, stripped of his position as Everton Director. Moshiri's majority shareholding makes it possible for him to do this... but will he?

I'm not holding my breath.

I believe a chairman is voted in by the shareholders and, as Kenwright only holds 1.3% of shares, he can be voted out, but the major problem, and I keep saying it, is Moshiri with 94% of shares is the major shareholder and he keeps him in.

It's been a tough summer to date and, with just over 4 weeks to the big kickoff, we are looking at another difficult season unless Calvert-Lewin has an injury-free run.

You couldn't make it up!”

Yet, you just did.

To be honest, beyond it being boring and repetitive, I don't mind so much the continual forced contrivance of contorting every response to any story, no matter the content or subject matter, to ham-fistedly bring it back to Bill Kenwright. There is an ever-lengthening backlog of frustration and dismay playing into that, after all.

What I find baffling and bone-creakingly cringeworthy is the painting of other posters (the majority of whom have known the score when it comes to Kenwright for well over a decade at least but just don't see the need to bang on about the man every bloody day) as some sort of ignorant legion of blind bellends looking to bury their collective head in the sand, usually from a deluded few who have bizarrely convinced themselves they're an ahead-of-the-curve truth-sayer for stating stuff that has been tossed back and forth on here since before the club started serving bloody Chang.

You're not telling anybody anything new, nor about to change anything that came before.

It's like a bored bloke in prison, discovering via re-runs that Bobby Ewing died in Dallas and deciding to spend the entirety of his prison sentence campaigning for Patrick Duffy's return by writing loads of letters saying the exact same shit constantly to a couple of TV magazines that ceased to exist eons ago.

But could you tone down the Kenwright love in?

🛸

The unknown is if DCL will actually be able to play to be the striker we need - that’s why we need a guaranteed striker. No ifs buts or maybe’s.