footballfancast.com

Rooney 2.0: Everton must replace DCL with teen who's outscoring every senior player - opinion

Everton have suffered their due in recent years, more so, but with The Friedkin Group moving toward ending Farhad Moshiri's dysfunctional reign as majority shareholder, perhaps greener pastures are on the horizon.

The Merseyside derby was called off last weekend after Storm Darragh wreaked chaos on Liverpool and precluded the Premier League fixture from feasibly taking place.

That was frustrating, for Sean Dyche's Blues had been fuelled by the 4-0 midweek victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Goodison Park would have relished the chance to stifle Liverpool's progress.

Mangala-Everton-Premier-League-Wolves

Everton have failed to score in seven of their 13 Premier League matches this term, but blew the Old Gold away and offered a glimpse into the dormant riches that this outfit can muster.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin, however, failed to break his duck.

More misery for Dominic Calvert-Lewin

In isolation, Calvert-Lewin's performance against Wolves wasn't that bad a thing. The 27-year-old striker was given a 7/10 match rating by The Liverpool Echo's Chris Beesley after forcing two own goals from Craig Dawson and missing a host of further opportunities.

On another day, with adjusted margins, the 11-cap England international could have had an emphatic brace, but the barren run has instead stretched to nine matches, with two goals scored and nine big chances missed in total this season.

He was fantastic against Wolves, played his role crucially, but with his contract up for expiry at the end of the season and many negatives outweighing the positives, it's surely a fitting time for change.

What Everton need is some fresh life at number nine. Armando Broja has been cleared after an injury-ruined start to his Everton career, but it's academy sensation Braiden Graham who could actually be the club's saviour.

Why Dyche must unleash Braiden Graham

Graham is a 17-year-old forward who has been riding the crest of a wave in Everton's academy, demonstrating all the properties required of a Premier League-level player in the making.

The Northern Ireland youth international scored twice across 14 senior appearances for Linfield in his homeland before formally completing a transfer to Merseyside last summer.

He's a versatile forward and invariably clinical, regardless of the position he is placed in, and when considering this alongside his academy status, the teenager might just prove to be the Toffees' next version of Wayne Rooney.

Braiden Graham: Everton U18 Stats by Position

Position

Centre-forward

Right winger

Attacking midfield

Left winger

Stats via Transfermarkt

With seven goals from his first eight appearances in the U18 Premier League, not only is Graham outscoring every member of Dyche's senior squad this term, but he's Everton U18's top scorer by a distance - Justin Clarke and Kean Wren both sit on four-goal hauls.

That knowledge is relevant since it is important to register how far Graham is above his teammates, something that is reminiscent of a fledgling Rooney, whose ability saw him promoted to the first team at the age of just 16, thus announcing himself as one of football's most prodigious talents.

Wayne Rooney playing for Everton

Linfield boss David Healy once hailed Graham as a "deadly finisher," and so he could be the answer to the outfit's problems, the long-term solution and the replacement to the supposedly outgoing Calvert-Lewin.

Is he a talent on the same level as Rooney? Maybe not. But the young buck has got everything going for him and could be the galvanising success story that Everton need.

Lookman-Everton-Premier-League Related

[Forget Lookman: Everton sold "genius" who's now ranked alongside Bellingham](https://www.footballfancast.com/after-lookman-everton-sold-rodriguez-now-being-rated-as-high-as-bellingham/ "Forget Lookman: Everton sold "genius" who's now ranked alongside Bellingham")

The former Everton star has been impressive in 2024

Read full news in source page