Everton fans had been treated to a summer of blind optimism until last Saturday, when that false reality came crashing down with their return to Premier League action.
It was a match that followed a similar trend to early on in their last campaign, where they enjoyed a strong start and created chances, but an inability to finish ultimately left them hamstrung.
Then hit on the break, they were brutally punished for their profligacy.
Goodison Park had seen this story all too many times before, and desperately sought to find someone to blame for this unrelenting trend.
Ironically enough, Fabrizio Romano has now name-dropped one maligned figure as someone who could now exit the club before the window shuts.
Fabrizio Romano delivers Dominic Calvert-Lewin transfer update
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT just last night, the revered transfer journalist sought to provide an update on the future of Everton’s number nine whilst combing over Manchester United’s plans to end the window.
This fusion might seem odd to some, but Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth had previously suggested that internal discussions were going on at Old Trafford regarding Dominic Calvert-Lewin as a potential target.
News that shocked most, what’s even more stunning is that this Italian reporter has doubled down on the notion, briefly referencing the forward in his latest update.
He claimed: ‘In terms of a striker at the moment, Manchester United know that there are many opportunities on the market. Calvert-Lewin is out of contract in one year at Everton, so it could be an opportunity for many clubs.
‘Ivan Toney wants to change, and he is another player who is out of contract in one year, so Manchester United are aware of these opportunities, but at the moment their focus is on different positions.’
Dominic Calvert-Lewin would struggle to upgrade from Everton
Whilst a move to Manchester United is, across the board, a step up from Everton, the notion that Calvert-Lewin will be able to earn a move away from Goodison Park this summer to join a team that is an upgrade where he will also start is a ludicrous one.
After all, he simply has not been good enough to warrant such a move, with there being little about signing the injury-prone and profligate 27-year-old attractive.
Meanwhile, here is a club steeped in history and tradition who has already put their faith in him, nursed him back to full health after a truly terrible injury spell, and relied upon him to fire them to safety.
And yet, despite this, Calvert-Lewin has already rejected one Everton contract, with finances seemingly being the incentive for the former Sheffield United man rather than legacy.
He is just 15 goals away from surpassing Romelu Lukaku as the club’s all-time top scorer in the Premier League, yet instead of staying and fighting to become a hero on Merseyside, his future becomes more and more uncertain with each passing day.
As Goodison Park let him know last Saturday, Calvert-Lewin’s uncertain future is winning him no new fans.
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