Sean Dyche could launch Everton experiment as players prepare for final Arsenal farewell

Sean Dyche could use the final game of the season to take another look at his attacking options.

The Blues boss has refrained from making wholesale changes since guiding his side to Premier League safety and could opt to name a strong line-up again at Arsenal on Sunday.

But if he is going to give an opportunity to the players in the team, then it is most likely to be in the forward areas.

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Injuries to the likes of Nathan Patterson and Vitalii Mykolenko limit the extent to which Dyche can make changes at the back, with Ashley Young, Seamus Coleman and Ben Godfrey competing for the full-back positions. Dyche hasn’t strayed from the centre-back partnership of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite since they met in the home game against Wolverhampton Wanderers – unless injuries and suspensions elsewhere in the squad force him to make a change tactics. But he has more options in the future.

Jack Harrison’s injury and Arnaut Danjuma’s loan deal soon to end could see Dyche hand Lewis Dobbin his first Premier League start of the season. The academy starlet has been a key part of the squad this campaign but his use has been limited to substitute appearances. The pressure-free trip to the Emirates could give Dyche a good chance to watch him as he tries to determine how much of a role he can play next year.

The same can be said for both Beto and Youssef Chermiti. Dominic Calvert-Lewin kept his starting position against Sheffield United on Saturday and was excellent in the win, providing a cross for Abdoulaye Doucoure’s winner. His fitness and form in the latter stages of the season have left him with nothing to prove until the summer and so Beto or Chermiti could be exposed to useful minutes. Beto would love to add to his tally of three league goals in his debut Premier League season, while Chermiti has shown real promise in recent weeks. Making his first league start against Brentford, he is yet to score for Everton but has offered hope that his development will help him make an impact in the first team next year. Dyche started Ellis Simms at Anfield and Old Trafford last season, so has a history of giving youngsters a chance on the big stage and has impressed with the 19-year-old in recent weeks. This could be another chance to gauge where Chermiti might fit into his plans for next season.

Speaking after Saturday’s win, Dyche said of Chermiti: “I’m happy with him. Youssef was actually brought in as a development style player and probably should have been loaned out. But you know the situation here, that was obvious, small team, stretched numbers, we had to develop him inside the training camp and he did very well. He’s put a lot of effort into it, especially the last couple of months, and he’s bounced back, he’s started of course and he’s come in and affected the game today.”

Meanwhile, Andre Gomes, one of several players whose current contract is due to expire this summer, could be given the opportunity to start what could be his last game for Everton. Gomes has overcome injury to play a bigger role than expected this season and could be rewarded with a start as a result. Central midfielder Lewis Warrington, who made his Premier League debut in the off last week, is one of several youngsters, including Jenson Metcalfe and Mackenzie Hunt, to have been with the first team this season and would relish the opportunity to to enter the field. When Everton visited Arsenal in similar circumstances on the final day two years ago, Frank Lampard handed academy midfielder Isaac Price a Premier League debut and those young players could benefit from a similar experience.