Former Everton manager Sam Allardyce has highlighted the club’s long-standing struggles in front of goal, citing the lack of a true replacement for Romelu Lukaku as a significant issue. Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast, Allardyce reflected on his time at Goodison Park during the 2017/18 season and pointed to the ongoing challenges Everton face in the Premier League.
“Everton have had a lack of goals since I went, even before I went,” Sam Allardyce said. “They sold Lukaku and the goals had gone; they never replaced him. They’ve tried and tried and tried.”
Lukaku, who scored 87 goals in 166 appearances for the Toffees, left the club in 2017 to join Manchester United. According to Allardyce, the Belgian striker’s departure created a void in Everton’s attack that remains unfilled.
The 69-year-old also discussed the struggles of current Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, whose potential to lead the line has been hindered by injuries.
“It looked like Calvert-Lewin would be the answer for a while, until the injuries,” Allardyce continued. “Now it looks like he can’t hit the net regularly. Without the team scoring enough goals, it will always be a struggle.”
Everton have endured a challenging start to the 2023/24 Premier League season, with inconsistency in front of goal contributing to their precarious position near the bottom of the table. For many fans, the team’s inability to find a reliable goalscorer since Lukaku’s departure has become a frustrating hallmark of recent campaigns.
As the club battles to avoid another relegation scrap, Allardyce’s comments underscore the need for Everton to solve their long-term goal-scoring problems.