Everton will go into the summer transfer window open to exploring the striker market, even after Beto and Thierno Barry have combined for 17 Premier League goals this season. The club’s thinking is that the attack has improved, but not enough to stop them from looking again if the right forward becomes available.
David Moyes said before the defeat by Sunderland that both men had settled after slow starts, and the numbers back that up. Beto scored one goal in his opening 19 league games, then rescued Everton with a 98th-minute equaliser at Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of January. Barry, who cost £27m from Villarreal, has also made a real contribution, scoring home and away against Nottingham Forest, at Aston Villa and in a recent brace against Manchester City.
That progress matters because Everton’s interest in another striker comes despite the better form of both forwards. Barry was booed at some games after comments aimed at a section of Blues supporters following the away defeat to Arsenal, which showed how quickly sentiment around him can shift even as his goals have started to count. Moyes told the club before the loss to Sunderland that both forwards had done quite well in the end, after taking time to settle.
Last summer, Everton pursued Liam Delap and believed they came close to bringing him to Merseyside from Ipswich Town. They will have to engage with Chelsea again this summer whether or not Delap is available, with the 20-year-old having managed one goal in 26 league appearances for Chelsea after a difficult start. Everton and Chelsea are also discussing whether Chelsea want to keep Tyrique George, who arrived at Hill Dickinson Stadium on loan in January, has struggled to break into the starting line-up and has repeatedly made an impact from the bench.
The wider backdrop is straightforward: proven forwards are expensive and in demand, so Everton are likely to keep their options open rather than chase one name too early. Ivan Toney has been on their radar at times over the past 18 months, although his recent appearance in Liverpool is not thought to be linked to Everton. The club can be encouraged by the way Beto and Barry have finished the season, but their summer plan still points to another search for goals.
