Everton have been urged to keep Dominic Calvert-Lewin over Richarlison this summer amid rumours linking the pair with a move away from Goodison Park.
Both Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison have been the subject of transfer interest from Premier League rivals in recent weeks. The former is said to have attracted attention from Arsenal and Newcastle United while Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea are ready to battle it out for the Brazilian.
And former Aston Villa and West Ham United midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker believes Calvert-Lewin has a 'deeper' connection with the fans at Everton and they should be doing all they can to keep him over Richarlison.
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"I’d probably keep Calvert-Lewin," he told the BBC's Football Daily podcast. "I feel there’s a deeper connection for the fans and the club as a whole with Calvert-Lewin than there is with Richarlison. I feel, for me personally, Richarlison has never been the same since Ancelotti left.
"You can tell a lot by body language, application whether a player really is buying into the club and when I look at Richarlison’s performances, he gave it all he could at the time but it’s whether he wanted to do it for Everton staying in the Premier League or for his own self-gain after, whether he can get a move to a Premier League club.
"I feel there’s a deeper connection with Everton fans with Calvert-Lewin than there is with Richarlison. At the same time, Calvert-Lewin needs to stay fit. There’s a greater versatility also with Richarlison in the modern game, he can play out wide, centre, left (or) right of a front three.
"Whereas Calvert-Lewin is a traditional number nine, straight down the middle, can offer a lot to the right team. If I was Everton, I’d definitely probably get rid of Richarlison, he’s done his time there and build on Calvert-Lewin for a few years before he moves on."
Blues fans will completely disagree with Reo-Coker's assessment of Richarlison, whose six goals in the final nine games of last season proved paramount to keeping the club in the Premier League.
After an injury-hit campaign, Calvert-Lewin also came good late on as he scored the winner in the vital 3-2 home victory over Crystal Place that ensured Everton will be playing top-flight football next season.
It was one of five goals the England international scored in 18 appearances in 2021-22. Richarlison also netted in that game and finished the term with 11 goals and five assists in 33 appearances.
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