Sean Dyche makes demand of Dominic Calvert-Lewin as he gives Everton contract update

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been talking up his chances of breaking Everton's Premier League scoring record but can the Toffees striker find form and a new contract?

Sean Dyche admits more is needed from Dominic Calvert-Lewin but backed the Everton striker to rediscover his scoring touch.

Calvert-Lewin, 27, spoke this week about wanting to become the Toffees’ record scorer in the Premier League. Romelu Lukaku currently holds that honour with 68 strikes in the top tier with Calvert-Lewin 12 behind and four off Duncan Ferguson in second.

But he hasn’t scored more than 10 goals in the league in one season since he banked 16 in the 2020-21 campaign. That hasn’t been helped by injuries but he has been back to full fitness since the second half of last season.

Calvert-Lewin also drew a blank for the whole month of October up front this term after bagging two in September. Dyche has kept faith with him, mainly because Beto - who did score the late equaliser against Fulham last week - has not been up to it and summer signing Armando Broja is injured.

But the Everton boss insists the forward can get back to scoring consistently - if he keeps working hard. “He’s working hard at his game and finding that streak which brought him goals previously. He hasn’t scored regularly for a while and getting back in that zone can come.

“We speak about it endlessly as managers, finding a goal can get it started when being in the right area hits you and goes in. I’ve spoken to him about performances, the level of the consistency and trying to find it. Goals will come if you keep making sure you’re playing well and running hard, goals will come.

"He had the two seasons back to back when he scored a decent amount of goals and it has been up and down with injuries, fitness, loss of fitness, true fitness. That hasn’t been helpful. His fitness has been good this season and the end of last season now the next layer is how many times can you get in the key areas.

“You have to keep maintaining your standards and keep going in there. You can’t lose belief and hit the right places at the right time and eventually goals go in.”

There is also the argument that Everton’s style of play is not suiting the England international but he is struggling to rediscover his best. Everton managed to bank £75m when they sold Lukaku to Manchester United in 2017. But Calvert-Lewin’s value has plummeted in recent years due to his injury record.

The England striker is out of contract at the end of the season and, after interest never materialised from a number of Premier League clubs last summer, it is not a given he lands a new deal on Merseyside. Everton are not making progress on new contracts with the club in limbo awaiting the takeover from the Friedkin Group.

“All contract talks are the same as exactly they were,” said Dyche. “We try to stay open with all these players. They’ll have their view, we have ours with advisors and all the rest of it and you just try to find the moment when things work.

“He’s a valuable player to us, we like what he’s doing, we still think there’s more to come from him and he knows that. We let it open us as it would do.”

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