Everton struggle to score goals – this isn’t a new or profound statement. The Premier League’s second lowest scoring team last season, only ahead of rock-bottom Sheffield United, clearly need to find a way to find the back of the net a lot more often.
Evertonians have been yearning for more goals out of Calvert-Lewin and Beto as the two strikers scored just 10 league goals between them last campaign.
There is hope, almost approaching a desperate hope, that new recruits Iliman Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrom as well as any other summer signings can bolster Sean Dyche’s attack. If the team’s goal-scoring form doesn’t improve, however, that hope may well be shifted to striker Youssef Chermiti.
Buzz is building around the 20-year-old as more ability has been on display along with more promise that the Portuguese forward could become a more useful asset this season. Given when the striker was brought in from Sporting Lisbon last summer, as an unknown to most fans, the club was still firmly placing their trust in Calvert-Lewin to lead the line and had also signed fellow Portuguese striker Beto; Chermiti’s signing very much seemed one for the future. Everton’s continuing striker woes may mean the player’s signing is now considered one of the near-future, and perhaps even present.
Regular disappointing performances from Calvert-Lewin and Beto last season, consisting of missed chance after missed chance, seemingly wasn’t enough reason for the manager to give Chermiti more than the few minutes off the bench he was given. The young striker’s debut Premier League season was spent either as an unused substitute or as a brief cameo when the team was trailing.
Everton’s 1-0 win over Brentford at Goodison Park in April was Chermiti’s only league start and even then that was down to Calvert-Lewin and Beto both being unable to play. Despite feeding off scraps during his time at the club, Everton fans have seen enough to be excited about the prospect of the player and will wish for more opportunities to be afforded to him in the upcoming campaign.
