Everton told they must keep hold of ‘massive’ star amid January interest

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Everton’s upturn in form can be attributed to many factors, all of which have culminated at the perfect moment to give fans a much-needed lift.

After Bill Kenwright’s death, and reports of a potentially groundbreaking sanction from the Premier League, the Toffees had to suffer last week only to be rewarded with a cathartic win over West Ham United.

Battling well at the back, it was Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s moment of magical proficiency that decided the clash, with his importance one of those key factors that has engineered the turnaround.

Having been drawn into question so often over the last few years given his ongoing injury struggles, that catharsis is extended from the club to this player, who finally seems to be back to his best.

As such, former Hammers and Toffees marksman Tony Cottee has weighed in on the 26-year-old’s performance, struggles, and future prospects, speaking live on talkSPORT (8:45 am, 01/22/23): ‘He could [fill a gap somewhere], he’s a good player as well and there’s a lot of clubs looking for centre-forwards.“

‘There’s some big clubs out there that need centre-forwards. I hope Calvert-Lewin doesn’t leave Everton, I’d like to think he’s at the club, enjoying it.

‘Obviously, money talks as we’ve already explained with Declan [Rice], but he makes a massive difference to that Everton team. I was at the game on Sunday, fantastic goal, lovely touch. You don’t get much time in the box, you’ve got to create the space sometimes, it’s just a little bit of movement, little bit of skill.

‘I thought it was a fabulous goal, I really did, he makes such a difference. He leads the line for that Everton team and with that potential 12-point deduction coming as well, they’re going to need these goals to stay in the Premier League.

‘So I think Everton have got to keep him at the football club, they cannot allow him to leave in January. All right, end of the season is a bit different and you can talk things through sensibly, but no rash decision.

‘They need Calvert-Lewin and he needs to stay fit as well, he can’t keep getting as injured as he has been.’

How many Premier League goals has Calvert-Lewin scored?

Having been at the club since he was 19, signed for just £1.5m from Sheffield United, it is astounding the rate at which the striker has grown into an integral member of the squad.

Whilst his physical transformation has been well-documented and rightly praised, it is his mental fortitude which truly deserves credit, to come out the other side of such a dark period to be performing the way he is now.

Sunday’s winning strike marked his fourth of the season from just eight appearances in all competitions, and saw him hit the big milestone of 50 Premier League goals.

Only three other players in the club’s history have achieved such a feat, with Calvert-Lewin in good company alongside Romelu Lukaku, Tim Cahill and Duncan Ferguson.

With the £100k-per-week finisher still so young, and clearly boasting a strong connection with Everton, the hope will be that he ignores the advances of opposition clubs and stays to break records in Merseyside