Everton have seemingly always been a side willing to put their faith in their youth, often reaping the rewards through impressive performances and an eventual big sale.
Their latest success story came when Anthony Gordon joined Newcastle United for a mouth-watering £45m, but even as far back as with Wayne Rooney they earned a huge fee for a boyhood blue with the world at their feet.
Although Youssef Chermiti has not earned his rise to the top through their academy, he still remains a hugely promising asset set to star in the Premier League when the chance arrives.
After all, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin now marking one of Sean Dyche’s key assets, his path to stardom should offer a glimmer of hope for the Portuguese teenager.
Joining over the summer in a £15m move, first-team appearances have been sparse for the 19-year-old. However, when thrown into the U21s last night, he certainly made his mark.
In fact, the Liverpool ECHO’s Chris Beesley would detail his match-winning performance against Mansfield, first noting: ‘Chermiti could and perhaps should have been leading the line for them from the start as he learns to adapt to the English game but picked at the third time of asking, he added an extra dimension to their frontline.
‘While there was a heady mix of tricks and flicks from a prodigious talent who obviously ‘has a good touch for a big man’ – as if any of us should be surprised if a player over six feet in height can trap a ball – it’s obvious that he is still on a steep learning curve when it comes to polishing him up for the Premier League.’
However, it is the comparison he draws at the back end of the piece that is most exciting, suggesting: ‘There’s something of the young Dominic Calvert-Lewin about him’.
How good is Dominic Calvert-Lewin?
Given how the former Sheffield United man has turned out since his 2016 move to Goodison Park, it is fair to say that Chermiti would be delighted to reach such a level during his stint in Merseyside.
After all, the 26-year-old marksman has become a solid striker for the Premier League, even notching 50 goals in the competition for Everton.
He is tireless and impressively effective, leading the line with power, poise and a finishing ability that can at times be unstoppable.
Having been plagued with injuries in recent years, this season seems to mark the first where he might actually avoid them, having scored five across all competitions whilst already making ten appearances.
Given as recently as the 2020/21 term he was scoring 21 goals across all competitions, these are the levels he will aspire to reach.
With Chermiti standing at 6 foot 4, but boasting that same turn of place that makes Calvert-Lewin so unique, the physical attributes are there for Beesley’s prediction to come true.
Should he maintain such form at this level, and keep his head down in training, there is every reason to believe that he could even surpass Beto in the pecking order given the 25-year-old is yet to set English football alight despite having had far more chances than Chermiti.
Dyche must now nurture the teenage talent to realise his huge potential.
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