It’s fair to say Sean Dyche is not everybody’s cup of tea.
But, after living on a diet of crumbs under Frank Lampard at Everton, a ravenous, goal-hungry Dominic Calvert-Lewin should be licking his lips at the appointment of a coach who, during a decade with Burnley, secured a well-earned reputation for getting the best out of physical, powerful number nines.
Chris Wood hit double figures during four straight Premier League seasons under Dyche; his form with the Clarets a far cry from his underwhelming displays at Newcastle United. Ashley Barnes, meanwhile, scored 12 top-flight goals in 2018/19. Sam Vokes hit 10 in 2016/17. He, Barnes, and Wood benefitted greatly from a direct, aggressive approach built around high-quality deliveries from wide areas.
So Calvert-Lewin, who’s average shots per game has declined from 2.5 to 1.2 over the last two years (WhoScored), should find goalscoring opportunities a lot easier to come by under Dyche than under Lampard; a man who’s pedestrian, plodding build-up play often left Everton’s number nine a frustrated spectator, waiting in vain for chances that would never come.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin should be revitalised by new Everton boss Sean Dyche
“Calvert-Lewin is best when they get the ball wide and into the box for him to get on to,” Cascarino told The Times when Dyche was previously linked with the Goodison Park job, back in 2021.
“(Everton) they need someone who can get the best out of Calvert-Lewin. Look no further than Sean Dyche. Consider the job he has done with Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood up front; players who wouldn’t get into most Premier League teams but have been fantastic under Dyche.
“He would work wonders with Calvert-Lewin.”
Reports from The Sun suggesting that Everton are weighing up a late-window bid for Ukraine international Artem Dovbyk, then, appear to go hand-in-hand with Dyche’s appointment on the blue side of Stanley Park.
The £10 million-rated Dovbyk has 16 goals in 22 games for Dnipro this season alone, plus a further four assists. Dovbyk is more than your run of the mill targetman too; he’s quick, aggressive, mobile and an emphatic finisher. But, at 6ft 2ins, he possesses pretty much every attribute that Dyche likes in a ‘number nine’.
‘Outstanding physical strength’
“He can play in any top league,” veteran Ukrainian coach Oleg Fedorchuk explains. “It all depends on the style of the team. Arsenal and Man City’s style is unlikely to suit Dovbyk. But the more forceful style of Chelsea and Tottenham (is a better fit).”
“He was the best attacking player in the league (last year). He’s also the number one player this season. (He has) a lot of speed, outstanding physical strength and a good left foot.”
Dyche is not a manager suitable for every football club. Dovbyk, meanwhile, is not a centre-forward who would naturally thrive under a more ‘fashionable’, possession-based coach.
But Dyche and Dovbyk could be a match made in footballing heaven.
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