When you consider back in 2021 that a player high on Newcastle United’s summer window was reportedly valued at £80 million, it brings up a rather harsh – if necessary – question.
Just what went wrong?
Why, four years on, is that very same player reportedly valued at just half that price? Why, according to Sky Sports, have Newcastle drawn a line under their pursuit despite Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s fee dropping from £80 million in 2021 to £40 million today?
Well, there are a few factors.
The main one, of course, is the injuries. Simon Jordan, the former Crystal Palace chairman turned pundit, feels Newcastle would be dicing with disaster if they were to bring in Calvert-Lewin to a frontline already containing the similarly injury-prone Callum Wilson.
Since the start of 2021/22, the England international has missed nearly 70 Everton games. And while Calvert-Lewin can still be unplayable on his day – as Merseyside rivals Liverpool found out during a defeat which ended the Jurgen Klopp reign on a rather sour note – those ‘days’ have become increasingly few and far between since Carlo Ancelotti’s Goodison Park era came to an end.
Newcastle cool Dominic Calvert-Lewin talks with Everton
Even when fit, Calvert-Lewin has struggled to find the net consistently.
There were eight goals in 2023/24 but only seven in the previous two campaigns combined. The man who broke the 20-goal barrier under Ancelotti around the time of those £80 million rumours has not come close to scaling the same heights since.
Whether Everton will find any club willing to pay £40 million remains to be seen.
Jordan feels that, if such an offer was to arrive for a man who’s fashion choices have made arguably more headlines than his performances of late, then The Toffees should take the money and run.
“Dominic Calvert-Lewin is a decent player. He had a decent season a while ago,” Jordan begins, via talkSPORT (25 June, 12pm). “If you can get £40 million for him, that would be fantastic.
“If I was in (Sean) Dyche’s shoes, I would want to sell him and his handbag!
“The reality of it is that I just don’t see him going to Newcastle. I mean, Callum Wilson is injured. Do you want to buy another player that carries that stigma all the time?”
HITC understands that the talks between Newcastle and Calvert-Lewin are not connected to the deal that could see Yankuba Minteh swap St James’ Park for Goodison.
Everton have already exchanged Tim Iroegbunam for Lewis Dobbin with Aston Villa. But the Calvert-Lewin and Minteh discussions were always separate.
A speedy and incisive right winger who’s penchant for cutting in drew comparisons with Lionel Messi during his time at Odense Boldklub in Denmark, Minteh impressed on loan at Feyenoord under now-Liverpool boss Arne Slot last term.
He scored 11 goals and set up six more in the Netherlands.
Yankuba Minteh could end up at Everton
Should Minteh arrive at Everton, that would give Dyche two useful if very different sort of options for the right-wing spot. Jack Harrison’s return from Leeds United was confirmed on Monday.
“It’s brilliant to be back,” Harrison tells Everton’s official website. “Everton is a great club, there is a fantastic group of lads here and I’m excited to get started again with a full pre-season of training.
“The last season at Goodison Park has to be a special one for everybody and we’ll definitely be wanting to make the most of those games like last year and create more memories.
“We can take confidence from last season but I think there’s a lot we can improve upon, as well. I know defensively we were very sound last season, but on the attacking end I want to be able to add more to the team and improve my numbers with goals and assists.”
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