Sean Dyche has said Everton’s financial situation may force them to accept an offer for Dominic Calvert-Lewin next week despite his desire to keep the centre-forward.
The Everton manager would be loth to lose Calvert-Lewin, the club’s top scorer last season in all competitions, but also powerless to keep him should a tempting bid arrive before next Friday’s deadline. The centre-forward has entered the final year of his Everton contract having resisted signing an extension due to the uncertainty over the club’s future. With no resolution in sight – the American billionaire John Textor would still have several hurdles to overcome even if he agrees a deal to buy Farhad Moshiri’s majority shareholding – Dyche admits Everton’s finances could dictate a sale.
“Any offer of a certain level would have to be still looked at by the club,” the Everton manager said when asked about Calvert-Lewin’s future. “We are in a better position because of player trading and how much we have lowered the wages but it is not solved. Therefore there would still be a moment where the big people at the club get a phone call and then it is down to them.
“I can give a football opinion. I think we would all go: ‘We don’t need to be selling anyone at the minute’ but that doesn’t mean that happens. The powers that be are still not in a position where they can go: ‘We are fine, we can start bankrolling the club and we are going to sign players,’ as you can quite obviously tell.”
Newcastle were interested in Calvert-Lewin earlier in the summer but were unable to agree personal terms with the 27-year-old. The Newcastle full-back, Kieran Trippier has been linked with a move to Everton but Dyche, his former manager at Burnley, said “there’s not much more wriggle room” for further signings at Goodison Park.
Dyche, who may struggle to fill the bench at Tottenham on Saturday due to injuries and suspension, said: “If we had some money and could look across the market at players we would look at many different positions, but we wouldn’t look at right-back straight away because of the players we have here. You can never guarantee with injuries but Youngy [Ashley Young] will be back [after serving a one-match ban at Spurs] and Séamus [Coleman] is making good progress. About right-backs, it has to build the team going forwards and not just one game.”