Everton Season Review: Strikers

Welcome to the 2017-18 Everton Season Review. Unfortunately, an autopsy is required before we can truly bury this year. Last up, the strikers.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Performance: DCL began the year with a bang, assisting in the Europa League, then playing provider on Wayne Rooney’s season opening goal. The 21 year old Englishman had 3 goals and 6 assists before Christmas, and then he hit the wall.

The additions of Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott didn’t help Calvert-Lewin retain his place in the team, but it was clear that as the months went on, Dom lacked the punch he had displayed earlier in the year. Fatigue? Injury? Coaching?

Who knows, but Calvert Lewin registered 8 goals and 7 assists for the duration of the campaign, which despite the loud wailing from certain dank and dark corners of the internet, was pretty damn good.

Future Outlook: Assuming he recovers from his back injury in time for preseason, DCL should be nailed on as the backup striker, and will also likely see some playing time on the wing. The future looks bright.

Grade: B. The dip in production during the winter months was frustrating, but Calvert-Lewin produced enough to more than deserve his playing time, despite the best efforts of three different managers to murder attacking football in cold blood.

Oumar Niasse

Performance: Once a castoff, Oumar Niasse finished the season as one of the most effective substitutes in England. Niasse was mistreated by Koeman and mismanaged by Allardyce, but still, he persisted. The Senegalese was a nuisance late in games, and perhaps Everton’s most consistent finisher. We could hardly have asked for any more.

Future Outlook: Oy. This is tricky. Oumar likely deserves more playing time than he got, and there’s no guarantee that Marco Silva will use him any more than Calvert-Lewin in the upcoming season. Getting rid of Niasse, though, could be a mistake, given his positive attitude and reliability. Stay tuned.

Grade: A. I won’t hear any other arguments.

Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images

Cenk Tosun

Performance: It took him awhile to get off and running, but once he did, Cenk Tosun looked like he might be worth most of the pennies Everton shelled out during the winter window. A true center forward, Tosun’s first touch and all-around game surpass any other striker on the books at Finch Farm, and he showed that ability with several well-taken goals late in the year.

Future Outlook: Yeah, yeah, the Blues have been linked with other strikers already this summer, but the truth is that Cenk Tosun should probably be Goodison’s leading man up front for at least a season or two.

Grade: B. We have to dock a few points due to waiting a month for Cenk’s account to open, but 5 goals in 14 games is good enough for us, especially considering the less-than-ideal working environment.

Sandro Ramirez

lol