Dyche: I don't see Calvert-Lewin going anywhere

Dominic Calvert-Lewin may have been among the players Everton could have sold over the summer but the Club have no intention of selling him midway through the season, even if it means they could lose him for nothing next summer.

Reports suggested during the most recent transfer window that Calvert-Lewin was close to joining Newcastle United — privately it’s been admitted that the move was never likely as the player was not keen on a move to the northeast and wasn’t likely to be offered by the Magpies the terms he seeks anyway — but any talks that might have been held fell through.

Eddie Howe was seeking additional striking support for Alexander Isak but Everton’s asking price for a player out of contract at the end of the season was likely also prohibitive. The result was that Calvert-Lewin stayed put and he has been a key member of Sean Dyche’s side as they bid to pull away from the lower reaches of the Premier League after a horrible start to the campaign.

The manager sees Calvert-Lewin as vital to that continuing effort and, as such, he won’t be looking to cash in on what remains of the player’s value in January.

“The number one priority since I’ve been here is safeguarding our status,” Dyche said last week. “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 [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.

“I don’t [restrict playing time for players who could potentially leave]” Dyche explained. “He will just keep playing. Get the shirt on, play hard, those are the rules. All the rest of it will look after itself.

“He’s been here quite a long time,” Dyche said when asked if Calvert-Lewin was keeping his options open. “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 [Friedkin Group] deal is actually done, it is just a pointless task to start going ‘Oh yeah, what if this, what if that’.”