Everton face seven major transfer decisions as key positions up for grabs

In the final part of the ECHO's squad audit ahead of a summer of transition at Everton, we take a look at the attack

Let the manager concentrate on the rest of the pitch, and the owner focus on the forwards. One of Sean Dyche’s oft-repeated lines during his time at Everton was that re-hash of a chat with Arsene Wenger, one he used to stress how, essentially, managers needed a budget to find a genuine goalscorer.

Another go-to, on the same subject, was that developing forwards for the highest level was also incredibly difficult. On that matter, he would typically refer to Manchester City’s purchase of Erling Haaland to insist that even the wealthiest teams often had to pay big money for top quality forward talent because it was so tough to produce it through a club academy or scout it before the parent club realised they had a sensation.

The message in both tales was that creating an effective frontline can be tough. In the final part of the ECHO’s squad audit, ahead of a summer of transition, the focus is now on the attack - including options out wide.

The make-up of Everton’s forward line next season is almost a complete mystery. Several strikers are due to leave in the summer, while those currently set to remain have unanswered questions around their future.

New owners The Friedkin Group have repeatedly sanctioned marquee forward signings at Roma, and should have the resources and PSR room to invest once the new financial year begins on July 1. But they will face a challenging market given the demand for goalscorers.

The first question will be over who remains. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been Everton’s first choice forward for a number of years now. Injuries have plagued him, though, and when he has been fit he has endured lengthy barren spells. There is a wider context to that, of course. Under Dyche he cut a solitary figure for the most part, often isolated and left to deal with long balls that pitted him against multiple defenders with little support. Even then, there have been standout moments, including his Merseyside derby winner 12 months ago.

But after fresh terms went unsigned last summer he entered the final year of his deal. A frustrating first half of the season looked as though it had the potential to yield to brighter days when David Moyes returned and unleashed some of his support network, most notably Iliman Ndiaye. Calvert-Lewin danced past defenders to break his latest drought in the win over Tottenham Hotspur but, then, disaster struck.

The 28-year-old suffered a serious hamstring injury at Brighton and Hove Albion and has not played since. There is hope he will be available for selection for the final month of the season but, with games running out, he faces a battle to be fully match fit. For Moyes, the injury has prevented the chance to look at the player in detail while his injury record is one that cannot be ignored. A fit and firing Calvert-Lewin is the simplest route to Everton having a leading marksman who can fire them up the table - the talent is clearly there. The question is whether Calvert-Lewin believes he needs a change of scenery to boost his career and, if not, whether Moyes can rely on the striker’s fitness to withstand the rigours of the job.

In Calvert-Lewin’s absence, Beto has stepped up. The 27-year-old hit form just when Everton needed him, his goals against Leicester City, Liverpool and Crystal Palace securing valuable points to pull the Blues away from trouble.

But since then his ruthless streak has evaporated. The Guinea-Bissau international missed big chances in the draws with Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers and hit the post when through on goal at Anfield in a game that may not have ended in defeat had he broken the deadlock.

The challenge for Moyes is deciphering what part of Beto’s game to attach the greatest weight to. While chances have stopped being converted, Moyes has been quick to highlight the value in those opportunities being carved out and the former Udinese player’s role in that process. He also deserves credit for giving Liverpool’s defence a torrid time across both derby games this season.

Like Beto, Youssef Chermiti is due to be at Everton next season. The Portugal youth international is still only 20 and has shown glimpses of real promise but has yet to score a senior goal for the Blues. He spent most of last season on the periphery, with Dyche admitting he would have been sent out on loan had Everton’s squad been able to lose him. In pre-season he started well before suffering a serious injury, then ended up with another setback over Christmas. There is a feeling in sections of the fanbase that, from what has been seen, he is a talent. His highlight to date is probably the snapshot in the build-up to the stoppage time equaliser against West Ham United last month but he is a striker who has had very little senior experience and may benefit from a loan move next season.

One of the most frustrating elements of this season has been the trouble suffered by Armando Broja. A player whose talent has rarely been in question, his body has stalled his career since his breakthrough spell at Southampton several years ago. While he arrived on loan from Chelsea with an achilles injury that kept him out until December, there was real hope the 23-year-old could lay claim to being Everton’s star striker for years to come - the club has the option to make the move permanent should they wish.

But not enough of him has been seen to warrant the £30m price tag. The issue, now, for Moyes is how much football to give him now he is back from injury. If Moyes sees value in Broja he could give him a run to test that theory before trying to negotiate a cheaper fee with Chelsea in the summer, or another loan spell. The issue with that is it will limit minutes for others though, while Moyes is desperate to avoid creating a squad with too-many injury-plagued stars.

The supply line to whoever leads the forward line is also crucial. Everton have struggled for goals for most of the season and a lack of support from midfield has been one reason.

The biggest area of focus for Moyes this summer is the right wing. It has been a source of consternation for outgoing director of football Kevin Thelwell for several years and recent summers have seen efforts to lure Wilfried Gnonto from Leeds United and Jaden Philogene from Hull City as long-term solutions.

This season, the work has been split between Jack Harrison, on loan from Leeds, and Jesper Lindstrom, on loan from Napoli. Between them, they have just one goal and one assist all season - Lindstrom supplying the pass that Harrison went on to score from at Wolves.

Both players have improved under Moyes, Lindstrom returning to the Denmark squad and Harrison’s confidence improving - he also won the penalty against Arsenal at the weekend. They have each been challenged to do more to show they deserve the future at the club they both want, though. Moyes liked both players before he returned to Everton but would need to see more to want to commit to either. The right of midfield will be a key area for the summer and Moyes is likely to want to add pace and goals from that position. Ernest Nuameh, of Lyon, was heavily considered in January but at the time also had a troubling record for goals and assists. That has since improved, though it may make him a more challenging target should Everton look to revisit him.

Over on the left, Moyes has the opposite dilemma. Ndiaye produced a man of the match display in the draw against Arsenal and is one of few players who can end this season confident he has delivered for Everton. There is little doubt he will be a key player going forward.

What that means for Dwight McNeil is intriguing. McNeil is happiest on the left, having struggled in the central role he was moved into under Dyche. His dead ball ability has been sorely missed in his four month absence, which ended with a substitute appearance on Saturday. But unless Moyes wishes to experiment with the 25-year-old on the right, his best hope of a start may be if Ndiaye is given a go in the number 10 role - something he has done before.

McNeil and Ndiaye will both come under pressure in that position from Carlos Alcaraz, the loan signing from Flamengo who could be secured on a permanent deal for around £12m. His versatility and clear ability should make that an easy decision for Moyes, who is being cautious around his use of the 22-year-old while he decides his next steps. While he does so, the out-of-contract Abdoulaye Doucoure continues to earn exposure under Moyes and is another figure to consider for a central attacking role he has proved so effective from during recent tough years.

Everton will trigger an obligation to buy Alcaraz should he start nine matches and, while he is looking like a bargain on those terms, Moyes is reluctant to lose control of the situation as he reaches his final decisions.