Everton are desperately attempting to stave off relegation from the Premier League yet again this season, and have failed to utilise their squad’s capabilities for large portions of the term, but the brimming talent from the youth ranks definitely offers plenty of solace for the club’s future.
And while Sean Dyche recently took the reins last month to replace the dismissed Frank Lampard, the inability to bolster the squad with impactful players this winter, despite the £45m sale of winger Anthony Gordon to Newcastle United, might be something the proud Everton faithful lament come the end of the season.
While the club failed to bring in any new players, one starlet already on the outfit’s books is Lewis Dobbin, playing for League One promotion-pushers Derby County on loan this year, and he might actually have proved to be a valuable utility option for a side requiring a spark of vibrancy and innovation.
Dobbin is held in high regard on Merseyside, and was granted a departure at the start of the campaign to continue his development after signing a new contract in January 2022.
Speaking to The Athletic about the prodigy when he was still Everton boss, Lampard waxed lyrical about the potential for the 20-year-old, firmly believing he could cement a role in the senior squad over the coming years, but first that a loan move would be the best course of action to continue his development.
Lampard said: “Lewis Dobbin is one where a loan probably will be the best thing for him.
“He was great last year, trained well and showed energy and spark. But it’s a good time for him to go and play.”
Hailed as “unbelievable” by journalist Jake Barker for his performances this year, Dobbin is a dynamic and energetic forward, capable of flourishing in any of the frontal positions on the pitch, and having played 37 matches for the Rams already this term, landing three direct goal contributions from his last three starts in the league, he is certainly gaining the experience he needs to use as a platform to build upon.
If he can start adding a clinical touch to his game, there is no reason why he can’t emulate the success of Romelu Lukaku at the club, albeit in different circumstances.
The Belgian powerhouse was signed from Chelsea in a club-record £28m deal in 2014, and the imposing striker would go on to forge 166 appearances for the Goodison Park club, scoring 87 goals and supplying 29 assists.
While Lukaku is a very distinctive striker, hailed as powerful and devastatingly effective with his thunderous left foot by one scout report, a striker of his ilk can often emerge as a dangerous weapon for the club which yields them, and Dobbin has the foundation at his feet to be exactly that.
Everton’s official website says of Dobbin: “A skilful, pacey striker who combines intelligent movement with ruthlessness in front of goal, Dobbin was named Under-18s Player of the Season after hitting 11 goals in 16 league matches in 2019/20.”
If such attributes can indeed continue to blossom, the English starlet might indeed finally be the robust talismanic force the club yearns for, serving as the Lukaku-esque “crowd lifter“, as dubbed by BBC Radio Derby reporter Dominic Dietrich, that Goodison Park so dearly needs.
While filling Lukaku’s long-departed boots at Goodison Park might appear something of a tall order, Dobbin is impressing as he continues to nurture his skill set, and with his blossoming success in the final third and physicality, he might just emerge as the Toffees’ next big striking sensation, and this time home-grown.
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