Everton have been credited with an interest in Middlesbrough striker Chuba Akpom recently and the in-form forward could prove to be the next Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Goodison Park.
According to the Daily Mail, Everton, Crystal Palace and Southampton are all keen on the 27-year-old, who currently leads the way for goals scored in the second tier this season with 13 strikes to his name.
The former Arsenal man has exploded into life under new manager Michael Carrick and boasts ten goals in his last 12 appearances for the Riverside outfit, so it is easy to see why he is attracting Premier League interest this month, especially from the clubs mentioned in the report, who are all struggling for goals at the moment.
Carrick was full of praise for his main man when he hit a hat-trick against Championship strugglers Wigan Athletic, highlighting precisely why he’d be such a good addition in Merseyside.
He said: “I am delighted for Chuba, he’ll get the headlines and rightly so because he’s a huge threat at the moment for us, and is getting his rewards in front of goal.
“But it’s more about his performances and what he brings to the team, his link-up play and taking up clever positions that give other people space.”
Neal Maupay and Calvert-Lewin have scored just two goals between them this season and it seems clear that Frank Lampard needs attacking additions in the transfer window if he wants to keep his job with the Merseyside outfit.
While Everton’s once talismanic forward has failed to fill the void left by Richarlison this season, he has shown that he can be a quality Premier League striker in the past, hitting 16 league goals in the 2020/21 campaign.
Like Akpom, Calvert-Lewin was playing in the lower leagues of English football when he joined the club from Sheffield United and had to work hard until he established himself as a regular in the Toffees’ first team.
The Middlesbrough man was once highly thought of in Arsenal’s academy, with Arsene Wenger dubbing him “dangerous” but he failed to make the grade in the Premier League as a youngster and has since spent time abroad with the likes of PAOK and Sint-Truidense in Greece and Belgium respectively.
However, he has now returned to English football with devastating effect and could save Everton from relegation in the second half of the campaign should he replicate his form with Boro in the top flight with the Toffees.
Akpom could do a similar job to Calvert-Lewin as a target man in the Everton attack, as WhoScored suggests that both players like to flick the ball on, which suggests they excel in the air.
Therefore, Everton should definitely look to bring the Middlesbrough man to the Premier League this month.
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