Everton renew interest in Bas Dost, but why?

Thought experiment: Let’s say you have a team that is really struggling to create quality chances for its strikers. And let’s say there is a striker who is really bad at creating his own chances. Should these two things be combined?

No.

The Toffees continue to be linked with Sporting Lisbon’s enormous forward, but in truth, any purchase could be another disaster.

The current situation is that Everton is 12th in the EPL in key passes, averaging just over 7 per game. Mediocrity is the operative term here. About 21% of those key passes come from Gylfi Sigurdsson and about 24% of them have come from Wayne Rooney. This is a serious problem because we have yet to see a lineup that really works with both Rooney and Sigurdsson on the pitch.

Bas Dost is a very solid forward, but he’s ultimately a finishing tool, he’s not someone who is actually going to contribute anything to his own chances.

If Everton had a system where Rooney and Gylfi could share the pitch and could put together ten chances a game, great, awesome, sign me up. But that’s not what the Blues’ offense is.

In theory, Yannick Bolasie and Seamus Coleman getting healthy should improve overall chance creation, but the biggest holes in this team right now involve the back line, and I don’t think new CBs are going to create chances for a 9.

As discussed here already, Everton are actually getting very strong production from the 9 spot with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Oumar Niasse.

That’s not to say they have no reason to buy a 9, but it should say that if the Toffees are going to buy a 9 it should be someone who adds to the team’s ability to create chances, because otherwise what is the point?

At 28, Dost is playing in a very average league. There is a reason for this. If he was some sort of savant he wouldn’t be spending the heart of his prime in Portugal. He’s not going to address they largest problems in David Unsworth’s offense, and he’s just not the answer being sought at striker.

Cards on the table, I think Dominic Calvert-Lewin is that answer. In a year where Everton are doomed to miss out on their league expectations anyway, I’d rather just give the kid who is the future of the position as much game time as possible and let him turn in a 10-15 goal campaign for us in the PL as a developing young star.