Sean Dyche vowed Everton would learn from narrowly missing out on relegation from the Premier League last month.
The truth is, though, the Toffees will find themselves in the exact same position next time around unless new players are recruited – particularly up top.
What is the latest with Everton's striker search?
Everton have been linked with their fair share of attacking players already this window, including the likes of Wilfried Gnonto, Nicolas Jackson, Jack Harrison and Viktor Gyokeres.
According to Portuguese outlet O Jogo, Everton are showing a particular interest in the latter, with a formal bid set to be made this week to test Coventry City's resolve.
Sporting CP are also said to have made signing Gyokeres a priority, however, potentially setting up a bidding war for a player who could potentially go this summer for as much as £17m.
Is Viktor Gyokeres a good option for Everton?
That is a fairly sizable sum to spend on a player who has no experience of top-level football, having spent the past four seasons in the Championship and previously played for St Pauli in 2.Bundesliga.
However, prolific strikers in the mould of Gyokeres, who can also chip in with their fair share of assists, are worth their weight in gold.
The Sweden international scored 21 goals and set up ten in 46 regular-season Championship matches last season, with those 31 direct goal involvements being the most of any player in the division.
Gyokeres has a natural ability to find himself in the right zones, highlighted by his 7.16 touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes last season, as per FBref, which ranks him in the top 3% of strikers across Europe's next best eight leagues.
The 11.01 progressive passes he received per 90 minutes – a completed pass of ten yards or more into his path – ranks him in the top 1% of strikers, meanwhile, and suggests he is always alert to where spaces are going to open up.
Those are exactly the type of qualities Dominic Calvert-Lewin showed at his Everton peak when scoring 29 combined Premier League goals in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.
Calvert-Lewin struggled to show anything close to that form last season, though, when restricted to 15 starts due to injuries. The England international scored just two goals and assisted one more, with those stats described as "embarrassing" by Alan Shearer.
As Shearer pointed out in February, Everton are "so poor in forward positions", with Neal Maupay another who came in for criticism from the Premier League's all-time record goalscorer.
Calvert-Lewin – on a reported £100k-a-week at Goodison Park, according to Capology – cannot be relied on by Dyche next season if Everton are to avoid being dragged into another serious relegation scrap.
There are other options out there ready to plug the gap, but on the basis of last season, Gyokeres seems to perfect choice for the Toffees.
