Everton in contact for “phenomenal” signing who beats DCL

Everton made the decision to part ways with Sean Dyche earlier this month and quickly decided to bring back the club legend David Moyes for another spell in the dugout at Goodison Park.

Scotland’s head coach is ready to see the final Premier League games at the stadium before moving to the new one for the 2025/26 season, and is tasked with helping the club avoid relegation from the Championship.

Moyes appeared to be the best candidate on paper as he already knows Everton and the Premier League and has recent experience helping the club overcome a relegation battle.

He won the European Conference League and competed in the Europa League as manager of West Ham United, before leaving the London Stadium last summer.

It is now up to the board to support Moyes in the transfer market to ensure he has the options needed to, firstly, avoid relegation and then fight higher up the table next season.

The January transfer window has been open for two weeks now and the Toffees are reportedly looking for a striker from one of their Premier League rivals.

Everton eyeing Premier League striker

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Everton are interested in signing Brighton & Hove Albion centre-forward Evan Ferguson at Goodison Park before the February deadline.

The report claims the Toffees have made contact with the Seagulls in a bid to sign the Ireland international on loan for the remainder of the 2024/25 season.

Everton are said to be vying to secure his services on a temporary basis amid interest from a number of clubs, including West Ham United, Bournemouth, Chelsea and Arsenal.

However, the report also suggests Chelsea and Arsenal would be interested in a permanent swoop for the striker, with Brighton only willing to consider a loan move in the January transfer window.

The report, however, adds that the south coast side are yet to give their blessing for the Irish marksman to leave the club on loan this month as they are concerned about knocks to Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro, which have left them light at centre-forward.

While it remains to be seen whether Brighton will allow Ferguson to secure a loan move to another team for the second half of the season, Everton must ensure they are at the front of the queue for his signature if they do.

Final chances have been a big problem for Everton in recent seasons and it’s no secret that the club’s strikers have consistently struggled in front of goal.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s Everton are struggling

In the 2023/24 campaign, the Toffees created 54.00 xG worth of chances and have only scored 40 times under Dyche, showing that they have fallen considerably short of the quality of chances they have created as a team.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s struggles at forward have contributed significantly to that poor performance, with the England international constantly letting Everton down with his wasteful finishing on the top edge of the pitch during his time at the club.

Since his return 16 goals in the Premier League in 33 appearances during the 2020/21 season, the 27-year-old goalscorer has failed to reach double figures in each of the last four seasons – including the current term.

As you can see in the table above, the England striker has consistently underperformed against his xG during those campaigns, particularly last season, with just seven goals from almost 14 xG.

These stats show that Calvert-Lewin has been incredibly wasteful for Everton and has let his team-mates down by failing to take the best chances they have created for him.

Therefore, the Toffees could significantly improve their attacking output by signing a clinical striker with the quality to capitalize on the chances they have given Calvert-Lewin in recent years.

Why Everton should sign Evan Ferguson

This is why a move for Ferguson during the January transfer window could be perfect for Everton as the Irish forward is a ruthless finisher.

Injuries appear to have prevented the 20-year-old star from continuing with Brighton, as he has been sidelined from April to August last year due to an ankle injury, which meant the striker missed the entire pre-season.

The young wizard is also currently out another ankle problemand since the end of December, and that suggests Everton would be gambling to sign him, as they are at risk of injury preventing him from playing regularly.

Still, it might be a risk worth taking, as Ferguson was hailed as “phenomenal” teammate James Milner, is miles better than Calvert-Lewin in front of goal and could be a big upgrade for Moyes up front.

The Brighton youngster is in his third season of regular football in the Premier League and constantly shows that he has the quality to more than make the most of the chances that come his way in the final third.

As you can see in the table above, Ferguson has surpassed the expected result by almost three goals since the start of the 2022/23 season, which speaks to his ability to finish at Premier League level.

While Calvert-Lewin underperformed his expected score of 22.94, s 56 goals from 78.94 xGin the top flight during his time with the Blues so far.

These stats suggest that Ferguson has significantly more quality in front of goal compared to the England striker, suggesting he would be miles better for the Toffees, given the quality of chances he can create, and provide Moyes with a centre-forward he can rely on in the box.

If Everton can bring him in and keep the 20-year-old star fit, then their respective end-game stats suggest Moyes would have a striker who is miles better than Calvert-Lewin at his disposal for the second half of the season.