Everton are set to belatedly address their goalscoring woes by clinching a move for Udinese striker Beto, who travelled to Merseyside for a medical on Sunday.
The 25-year-old is a long-term Everton target and represents a much-needed breakthrough in the transfer market for a team in desperate need of more firepower after opening the season with no goals and no points from three games.
Beto is a powerful target man and scored 10 goals in 33 games in Serie A last season.
Sources in Italy told i the deal is “progressing well” and with only medical checks to complete the Portuguese forward should be an Everton player in good time for next weekend’s crucial game at Sheffield United.
Everton are working on a restricted budget and the deal has been structured to help the club comply.
A fee of over £20m has been agreed with his club with around £4m of achievable add-ons.
It is set to be a busy final week of the window at Goodison Park.
Everton are hoping to make further additions before Friday’s deadline but, notwithstanding further sales, any deals are likely to feature a minimal down payment or be loan moves with an obligation or option to buy.
New striker won’t fix Everton’s defensive errors
By Daniel Storey, i chief football writer
I’m going to start with a little positive glimmer, because goodness knows Everton supporters need that. They are creating chances, having had 43 shots without scoring a goal this season.
It sounds financial gymnastics are permitting the purchase of Beto from Udinese. I’ve no idea if Beto will be prolific but between him and Youssef Chermiti it has to be better than Arnaut Danjuma as a centre forward while Dominic Calvert-Lewin tries to get fit.
Those chances are also being created without arguably two of the most dynamic attacking players fit. Dwight McNeil was a shining light last season to keep Everton up. Jack Harrison scored five Premier League goals and assisted seven more as Leeds went down. Get everybody back and Everton really can be exciting in the final third.
But that’s where the upbeat assessment stops. Beto scored goals in Serie A, but that has become a difficult league to judge the prolificacy of forwards in the Premier League and he was signed for roughly £5m a year ago. Chermiti is likely to need plenty of time to settle at just 19. Quite how Everton – who we are repeatedly told can afford nobody – have spent £42m on two Portuguese forwards, neither of whom have been capped by their country, is unclear. But this really needs to work.
More worrying is how the rest of the team seems to have declined. Everton have played three non-Big Six teams (and two potential strugglers at home) in their first three games and have allowed 32 shots with a cumulative xG of 5.6. The defensive resolve of Sean Dyche’s Burnley has vanished. Look at the marking for Sasa Kalajdzic’s goal for details of that.
A perfect way to get off the mark
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 26, 2023pic.twitter.com/OoYRe2sVOV
There is a distinct lack of dynamism in midfield too. Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye should at least be a combination that offers defensive protection, but their defensive numbers have declined badly since the end of last season. When you are struggling at the start of the season (and Everton clearly are), the least you expect is to offer the impression that efforts are being redoubled.
This is an extract of The Score. Sign up here to receive the newsletter every Monday morning this season for Daniel Storey’s verdict on all 20 Premier League clubs
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