In a recent report, The Telegraph (subscription required) claimed that Arsenal would have to pay £50m for Everton forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin. It is understood that the Gunners will have to battle it out with Newcastle United and West Ham United in pursuit of the English striker.
Calvert-Lewin’s Struggles At Merseyside Last Season
Calvert-Lewin endured a frustrating season in England as he missed a lot of games for the Toffees due to injury. The 25-year-old scored five goals and secured two assists in 18 matches for Everton in the previous campaign across all competitions.
The 11-time England international struggled to give a good account of himself in the final third after only managing to average 1.9 shots and 0.6 key passes per game in Premier League football. However, he was careless when linking up play with others around him, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 60.3% in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).
The 4th Official uses images provided by the following image agency:
Getty Images (https://www.gettyimages.de/)
Imago Images (https://www.imago-images.de/)
Should Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta Snap Calvert-Lewin Up This Summer?
Calvert-Lewin knows how to engineer some space for himself and can test the opposition keeper with his shot attempts. He can be a good finisher in the final third when he is playing with confidence on the field. However, frequent injuries have hampered his progress at Goodison Park so far. Plus, he has also struggled to be productive at times for Everton over the past ten months.
Therefore, Arsenal would be taking a gamble if they decide to move in for the Everton centre-forward this summer. Based on his recent form, the Gunners‘ boss Mikel Arteta might struggle to get the best out of the player.
The North London club would be better off opting for someone more reliable and with a better injury record in this off-season. Calvert-Lewin is good enough to serve as a decent squad player for a club like Arsenal.
However, there are some question marks over whether he is consistent enough to be a success story at the Emirates Stadium in the coming seasons. With all things considered, Arteta should not think about snapping Calvert-Lewin up when the transfer window reopens on June 10th.
