REUTERS/Scott Heppell
Everton aren't quite riding the crest of a wave under David Moyes this season, but they have made a resilient start to the campaign.
A win over Ipswich Town at the Hill Dickinson on Saturday - ahead of the prolonged autumn international break - would make it five unbeaten in the Premier League at the start of the season, impressive after such a turbulent summer transfer window.
REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff
Everton had been measured for much of the market, technical director Angus Kinnear insistent that it would all come together at the end. Instead, Everton's transfer strategy fell by the wayside, with five first-teamers leaving on deadline day, only Jack Grealish and Ainsley Maitland-Niles coming in.
Attempted deals for Folarin Balogun and Joshua Zirkzee fell through on deadline day, and after Beto was sold, Everton have been left short on attacking options. Adding insult to injury, Dominic Calvert-Lewin continues to go from strength to strength at Leeds United.
How Calvert-Lewin has performed since leaving Everton
On Monday evening, Calvert-Lewin put in a trademark to down Newcastle United at Elland Road. He scored and assisted - aggrieved that his strike came in off Jayden Bogle, preventing him from earning a brace.
The towering centre-forward used to produce such performances on the regular for the Toffees, though his career on Merseyside deteriorated toward the end, and he left on a free transfer in 2025.
Across his final four Premier League campaigns with Everton, Calvert-Lewin scored 17 times in the division. Since starting his journey with Leeds 13 months ago, he has posted 16 goals in the top flight.
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Dominic Calvert-Lewin - Career Stats by Club
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The 29-year-old is hitting the right notes under Daniel Farke, but supporters have been left questioning why greater efforts to keep him on the books weren't made. The England international is one of the most reliable strikers in the country, when fit, and he would certainly provide Moyes with the right tonic at the moment.
However, the Friedkin Group may yet turn things around and sign the next Calvert-Lewin at Everton - this month.
Everton could sign the new Calvert-Lewin for free this month
Calvert-Lewin has been a big miss at Everton over the past year, but let's not lean too heavily into revisionism. He tapered away toward the end on Merseyside.
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Still, his recent form shows that the Blues might have been more patient in nursing him back to full fitness, but they could remedy that now by signing Mauro Icardi on a free transfer.
Icardi, 33, would be a controversial signing. Let's make that clear. The Argentine veteran is a mercurial player, getting on, and would command a significant chunk of the wage bill, sure to demand the largest salary at the Hill Dickinson.
TFG have considered his signature after the events at the end of the transfer window, though, with reports this month claiming Everton are one of many clubs across the globe considering a move for the free agent after his contract with Galatasaray expired. Following initial talks with the player's camp, it's understood that he would be open to exploring a move to the club.
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Mauro Icardi in action for Galatasaray.
Last season, Icardi scored 14 goals across 31 Super Lig games with Galatasaray, winning the title for a fourth successive year. He left as a legend, but there's a marked difference between fronting Moyes' Everton side in the Premier League and playing talisman for Gala.
However, Icardi has been around the block, winning titles and scoring goals at the highest level. He has what it takes to be a difference-maker for Moyes' side, finally replacing Calvert-Lewin as a high-level goalscorer at the front of the system.
Thierno Barry is a talented and energetic striker, but he blows hot and cold in front of goal. Icardi has been described as one of the most "deadly" strikers of his generation by analyst Raj Chohan, and he might have enough mileage still to use that he could be Barry's perfect foil over the course of the 2026/27 campaign; after all, 77 goals and 25 assists across 134 games for Galatasaray is nothing to be sniffed at.
He is not a towering aerial specialist like Calvert-Lewin, but Icardi's expertise as a poacher in and around the danger area makes him the ideal candidate to add a dimension up top for Everton this season - someone who could outstrip the likes of Barry and Beto and securely place himself among the best the Blues have had for many years.
Mauro Icardi in action for Galatasaray.
It would not be a perfect deal, but the veteran would be keen on joining, and Everton could strike gold by landing such a proven goalscorer to help them through a tough period.
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