Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be a surprise inclusion in the opposing line-up after David Orstein confirmed in The Athletic today that the free agent is about to secure a move to newly promoted Leeds Utd.
The 28-year-old striker who refused to sign a new contract at Everton after 9 years with the club is expected to complete a medical today and could be in consideration to make his debut when The Toffees kick off the new Premier League campaign at Elland Road on Monday if he is registered in time.
Calvert-Lewin has been available since he confirmed in June that he would be leaving Everton as a free agent when his contract expired.
David Moyes reflected briefly on the primary reason he saw behind Calvert-Lewin’s departure from Everton when he spoke on Friday in the pre-match press conference. Moyes confirmed that the striker’s financial demands proved to be “too much” for the club and it opted to let him go:
“I’m pleased for Dom, I didn’t really get a chance to work deeply with him; he picked up an injury, I think I had one or two games with him,” Moyes said.
“We found the financials just too much at the time, so we just had to move on. It might have been the right time for Dom as well. I’m pleased he’s got himself sorted out.”
It is rumoured that a new 4-year deal, which had been on the table left unsigned by the centre-forward since last summer, was withdrawn soon after David Moyes arrived at the club in January.
Such a deal would have consolidated the huge investment Everton have made in the player over the years, through all his well documented trials and tribulations, and allowed the club to ask for a decent fee whenever he wanted to move on, but Dominic denied the club that by refusing to sign.