Frank Lampard's return to management is imminent.
Amid the latest development that the former Chelsea boss has formally been offered the Everton job to succeed Rafa Benitez, who was sacked earlier in the month, this scenario might not be good news for Arsenal.
As per the Times, the negotiations between the Merseyside outfit and Lampard are ongoing and there's a belief that they will be concluded in the next 24 hours.
This means the former midfielder could be unveiled as Everton's sixth permanent manager in the past five-and-a-half years by Monday, which just so happens to be transfer deadline day.
Interestingly, Arsenal have been tipped to make a move for Dominic Calvert-Lewin before the January transfer window closes.
Sorting a deal for the 24-year-old in this transfer window was always going to be difficult, if not impossible, for the Gunners to complete. Firstly, he's contracted to the Toffees until 2025 and as per the Daily Mail, his price tag is upwards of around £60m.
Not to mention Everton's lowly position in the Premier League table as it would be a surprise to many if they were willing to entertain offers for their talisman in the midst of a battle for survival.
Furthermore, based on Lampard's comments about Calvert-Lewin in 2020, it seems the striker will be central to his plans at Goodison Park.
"What I do respect about Calvert-Lewin is that – and this is from afar because I don’t know him – it feels like a career that he has really worked for," Lampard said, as per the Guardian. "That sounds simple but it is not a straightforward pathway.
"Not everyone gets in their first team at 17 or 18 other than the Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen types of the world. Other players have to find different ways and now he has shown, last season and particularly this season, consistently he’s an all-round striker.
"Every part of his game is a real threat.
"He has quite rightly got into the England team and he has settled into that so he is a major threat for us at the weekend and for Everton going forward. That’s why he has scored so many goals, so fair play to him.
"It is a good challenge for England to have a few strikers competing and he has thrown himself into that question."
Lampard's glowing verdict on Calvert-Lewin would suggest that the England international will be a key player for him, should he accept Everton's offer, in steering the Toffees away from the relegation zone.
As a result, this is bad news for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta in their search for a new striker.
Having already lost out to Juventus for their top target in Dusan Vlahovic, the Gunners might have to strike Calvert-Lewin's name from their list of alternatives to the Serbia international.
