Often, when Premier League stalwarts Everton and goals are mentioned together in the same sentence, the tone is usually pretty critical.
Goals, or a lack thereof, as is usually the case.
But this week, as Everton thumped Gary O’Neil’s beleaguered Wolves 4-0 at Goodison Park for their largest home victory since 2019, Sean Dyche’s usually profligate team turned oddly prolific.
Of course, Wolves helped. A pair of own goals from Craig Dawson and a dreadful wall to gift Ashley Young, Everton’s oldest ever scorer now at the age of 39, a tenth minute opener in rather farcical circumstances.
But if Everton can keep producing performances like this, with intensity, intent, physicality and no shortage of threat, the fourth-least potent attack in the Premier League should quickly on that particular metric.
The next challenge for Dyche, meanwhile, is to get Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto – three top-flight goals between them in 2024/25 – back on the scoresheet.
That certainly hasn’t been a problem for Moise Kean this term, the former Everton striker producing the best football of his career as those currently at The Toffees’ disposal continue to come unstuck in the final third.
Moise Kean of ACF Fiorentina celebrates after scoring his team's goal during the Italian Serie A football match between ACF Fiorentina and Hellas V...
Photo by Andrea Martini/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Everton flop Moise Kean named Serie A’s Player of the Month
In 13 Serie A matches, Kean has hit the target nine times now for high-flying Fiorentina. Five of those, meanwhile, came in just three matches across November. Kean plundered a hat-trick against Hellas Verona, sandwiching goals against Como and Torino to keep Fiorentina within touching distance of league-leaders Napoli.
No wonder Kean now has a Player of the Month award to make room for on his mantelpiece.
Luigi De Siervo, Serie A’s Chief Executive Officer, could hardly have been more glowing in his praise for Kean as a footballer who looked destined to become a classic case of wasted potential finally makes good on the promise which earned him that £27 million switch to Everton in the first place.
“This season, he has reached full maturity, expressing himself at very high levels in line with the great talent that has always been recognised in him,” De Siervo tells the official Serie A website.
“[Kean is] rewarding the club’s choice to entrust him with full responsibility for the Viola attack.
“The five goals scored in the month of November alone have led Fiorentina into the noblest areas of Serie A, in addition to earning him second place today in a scorers’ chart that promises to be as exciting as the entire championship.”
Kean admits he is ‘stronger mentally’ at Fiorentina
Only Mateo Retegui of Genoa – 12 in 12 starts – has more goals to his name than Kean.
With his 25th birthday now only a few months away, meanwhile, the proverbial penny appears to have dropped for the one-time Juventus wonderkid.
This is already the second-most prolific league campaign of his career – Kean netted 13 Ligue 1 goals during a loan spell at Paris Saint-Germain in 2020/21 – with the suddenly red-hot striker putting his stunning returns down to the faith placed in him by the Fiorentina bosses at a time where so many were writing him off.
“I feel stronger mentally,” Kean told DAZN recently. “I feel more mature and have people around me in Florence who gave me such a warm welcome.
“Everyone made it clear from the start they want me to do well, which helps me to train at my best and give my heart on the field in every game.”
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