pwshub.com

Sean Dyche issues hands-off warning over Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Calvert-Lewin’s contract runs out at the end of the season but Sean Dyche sees the centre-forward as too important to risk making a sale in the New Year.

Everton are due to open the 2025-26 season in a new waterfront stadium with American Dan Friedkin also hoping to complete a takeover of the club next month.

The Merseysiders, who face Fulham on Saturday having taken eight points from their last four games, have become known as a selling club in recent years with Anthony Gordon and Amadou Onana fetching big fees to help finances.

Dyche is confident however they will be able to resist vultures circling Calvert-Lewin in the New Year looking for a knockdown price.

Everton have issued a hands-off warning over Dominic Calvert-Lewin heading into January

‘I think the bigger prize in this case is Premier League football for Everton Football Club,’ said the manager.

‘The number one priority since I’ve been here is safeguarding our status. Along the journey, we’ve obviously had to bring money in but fortunately have never been pushed as far as giving players away for any cost.

‘We can still make decisions on situations and I can’t see anything other than Dom certainly being here until the end of his contract and then hopefully beyond.

‘I have an opinion of course on player trading, players in, players out, contracts. Kev (Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell) will take care of the business side of the club and we’ve worked pretty well together so far. We are pretty much aligned in what we think.’

With Everton having seen other takeover bids flounder, Dyche isn’t counting his chickens over Friedkin until the deal is signed.

And he accepts 27-year-old Calvert-Lewin, who has been capped 11 times by England, could be seeing what happens in the boardroom before deciding where his future lies.

“That would be fair, wouldn’t it? Just wait and see, the bigger picture,’ added the manager.

‘He’s been here quite a long time. He might be thinking, ‘which way is the club going? Which way am I going? What’s my part in it?’. I don’t think that would be unreasonable.

‘Until the deal is actually done, it is just a pointless task to start going “Oh yeah, what if this, what if that”.

Dyche’s own contract also ends at the end of the season and he’s not yet met Friedkin who already owns Roma and is in advanced talks to buy Everton from Farhad Moshiri.

‘I don’t know the next steps they would take and the first one, they have to get the club because we have seen this story even in my time, and before my time, prospective new ownership not actually going through for whatever reason,' added Dyche.

Blues defender Jarrad Branthwaite should be fit to return after a full week's training as Everton welcome former player Alex Iwobi back to Goodison Park.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Related stories
1 month ago - The Premier League returns with a blockbuster weekend to savour after the first international break of the campaign, with Sunday's North London Derby the pick of the matches in Gameweek 4.
1 month ago - SAMI MOKBEL: Manchester City midfielder Rodri broke ranks this week to indicate players were taking matters into their own hands and that players are 'close' to striking.
1 month ago - LEWIS STEELE AND MIKE KEEGAN: At first there was silence. Deathly, funereal silence. In the poky Goodison Park dressing room Everton's players sat with heads bowed.
1 month ago - Irresistible force Erling Haaland has eight goals over his last three league games but meets an immovable object in Arsenal's defence, who dug deep to earn a vital 1-0 win last week.
6 days ago - The club issued a short statement via social media at 2.39pm. It read: 'We are aware of an issue with the turnstiles, impacting supporters' entry to Portman Road ahead of this afternoon's game.'
Other stories
36 minutes ago - GRAEME SOUNESS: We are only eight games into the season, but this feels like a 'must win' for Arsenal. It is a bigger game for them than it is Liverpool, in terms of how it impacts on their season.
1 hour ago - Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber has been left out of Netherlands' provisional squad for their upcoming Nations League fixtures next month.
2 hours ago - The virtual reality headset giants have become the latest tech giants to get involved in the sport after signing a new back-of-shirt partnership deal with Wrexham.
2 hours ago - Rangers look set to delay plans to carry out further building works at Ibrox after the chaos surrounding the development of the Copland Road end this summer.
2 hours ago - The Matildas finished their match against Switzerland with a 1-1 draw in their first game under interim coach Tom Sermanni but a puzzling shift involving Mary Fowler has left fans scratching their heads