The last position group we’re going to look at tonight is the strikers in the 2026-27 Season Preview series.
There have been significant changes in midfield and on the wings for Everton this summer, and with a right back surely imminent, most areas of the team which required surgery are looking improved, or may soon be — fingers crossed. But what about the business end of the pitch, in the goal-scoring department? Thierno Barry and Beto shouldered the burden last term, combining for 17 league goals,
and as things stand, it looks like the pair will continue to lead the line this season. Other than the ever-present rumours regarding Liam Delap – a player David Moyes wanted at the club last summer – there have been few firm links to centre forwards, so the assumption must be that the current arrangement will remain in situ. So what can we expect from the club’s strikers?
Thierno Barry
The Frenchman experienced a rough campaign last term. Signed from La Liga club Villarreal for a substantial fee (£25.5m), it took Barry 15 league outings to break his goalscoring duck (he also failed to score in two EFL games). Whilst elements of his play did show promise – particularly in holding the ball up – this bleak run was not auspicious. The goals did start to flow after that first, but the former French under-21 international found himself playing second fiddle to Beto during the closing months of the campaign — a situation not enhanced by the incident at Arsenal, and its unfortunate aftermath. Still, he did end the season with eight league goals from 38 appearances, with 21 starts which, whilst hardly an epic number, wasn’t too bad for a debutant in the English top flight.
Having moved countries in each of the past four years, Barry can look forward to stability for the first time in his relatively short senior career, and it’ll be interesting to see what that brings. It’s hard to believe that putting down roots at a club won’t produce improvement. In the summer, the 23-year-old – who had surgery at the end of last season to fix a dislocated shoulder that he’d been playing with for months – has looked physically stronger and more robust, in addition to demonstrating better movement, touch and link-up play — all of which promises much. He’s been preferred to Beto throughout preseason, and it seems certain that the starting job is his to lose. I think he’ll run with it, and with improvements to the team’s attack, will score somewhere between 12 and 15 league goals this term.
Beto
What then for Beto? The big man is all heart and determination, which has seen him force his way into the starting lineup on three occasions since Moyes took over the reins. During two of these periods, he’s gone on a solid scoring run, which has led him to eight and nine league goals resepectively in the last two campaigns — not at all bad tallies considering he’s started in less than half his league appearances in that timeframe. Entering the final season of his contract – though it’s possible Everton may possess the option to activate an additional year – he again finds himself as not the preferred option heading into the new campaign. At 28, he’s as good as he’s going to get, and in terms of overall skillset, that is inferior to Barry, so he has much to do if he’s going to once again get back into the starting eleven. From the bench, and as a rotation player he offers an alternative — a powerful presence who is at his best running into open areas, where he can develop a momentum which makes him a handful for any defender.
Summary
It appears unlikely that Everton will make a late move for another centre forward at this late juncture, with no evidence that the position is being seriously looked at. Despite uneven performances from Barry and Beto last term, it’s worth noting that the two combined for 17 non-penalty league goals, comparing favourably with the much-admired Brentford striker Igor Thiago, who fired 14. Considering the pair rarely were on the pitch at the same time, this is not a terrible level of goalscoring. The question is, can they improve on this? I think Beto has hit his natural limit, whereas Barry, five years the younger, has the capacity to get better, especially now he’s experienced the tempo and physical nature of Premier League football. Better creativity in the squad should aid both, but with indications that Moyes intends to play more progressive football this season, Barry’s all-round game should be a big help in achieving that aim.
Statistics provided courtesy of transfermarkt.com
