Everton are weighing up their striker options ahead of a possible move in the January transfer window, with insiders admitting it could be some time before summer signing Thierno Barry fulfils his potential.
The Toffees have made a fine start to the season after a huge overhaul of their squad but frontline strikers Beto and Barry have a single goal between them in seven games.
Barry in particular looks extremely raw despite Everton forking out £27m to sign him from Villareal in the close season.
He is yet to register a goal involvement this term and while there was always an acknowledgement that they were signing one for the future, Barry lasted just 45 minutes in the victory over Crystal Palace before making way for Beto. Everton’s improvement after the break was marked.
The intention has always been to make further striker signings in the future – Barry is a “project” signing and insiders point out that he was relatively low cost given the market for forwards this summer – but the question is whether Everton expedite any of those potential deals given the way the season is unfolding.
The campaign is certainly opening up for Everton, who are eighth in the Premier League without their strikers really up and running yet. And it is understood there is a school of thought at the club that bringing in a more experienced, Premier League-ready forward may help them to kick on in the second half of what could be a breakthrough season under David Moyes.
As good as the start has been relative to the last few seasons, the lack of cutting edge has clearly cost them in home draws with West Ham and Aston Villa.
Whisper it quietly but Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who departed after his contract expired in the summer despite Everton’s efforts to renew his contract, might have prospered in a team that looks much more attack-minded than in recent seasons.
Although Everton will have money to spend in January, they have to be mindful of their position in relation to the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). Retaining PSR “headroom” for part two of the overhaul in 2026 is a consideration.
“It was never a one transfer window strategy. The idea was always to do it over a number of windows,” a source told The i Paper.
Everton signed off a busy summer with the belief that their squad could potentially take them through the season and there was a resolve not to leave gaping holes in the team given how notoriously difficult it is to get value for money in the January transfer window.
But sources have told The i Paper that the club could react to market “opportunities” if they feel it can support Moyes.
With a number of experienced strikers out of favour at their clubs – it’s understood that Joshua Zirkzee is seeking a route out of Manchester United – there could be some intriguing options for Everton to consider in the New Year.
A loan move is a possibility, with the Toffees utilising that market to sign Jack Grealish and Merlin Rohl.
In the here and now the club are working on securing contract renewals for key players, and announced a two-year extension for defender James Tarkowski on Wednesday to tie him down until 2028.
Everton also expect to confirm new contracts for Jordan Pickford and James Garner, who has impressed so far this season, in the coming weeks.
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But it is a measure of the good vibes at the Hill Dickinson Stadium that Tarkowski openly stated that the aim this season is to qualify for Europe. They have not played European football for eight years, since exiting in the group stages of the Europa League in 2017.
“It’s always been an ambition of mine to play European football. I had a brief spell with Burnley in the qualifiers but we didn’t make it to the group stages, so I want to get there,” he said.
“It’s the manager’s goal, it’s our goal as a team and, so far, we’ve started pretty well. Of course, it could have been better, but we’ve had a decent start and we’re definitely striving to get into those European spots and bring European football to our new stadium.”
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