Everton's Ongoing Striker Struggles Ahead of Tottenham Clash
Everton is set to face Tottenham at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday, maintaining an undefeated record at their new home with three wins and two draws this season.
The team's strong home performance follows a summer of successful recruitment, although the centre-forward position remains a concern, a challenge that has persisted since Romelu Lukaku's departure in 2017.
Over the past decade, the Toffees have signed 17 strikers at a combined cost of nearly £160 million, yielding mixed results.
As Everton prepares to meet former forward Richarlison this weekend, BBC Sport explores the club's ongoing struggle to find a reliable striker.
The Problem Position
Since Lukaku's sale in the summer of 2017, Everton has scored 357 goals in the Premier League, the fewest among all ever-present clubs. In comparison, Leicester City has netted 388 goals during the same period, despite spending two seasons in the Championship.
Despite signing 17 strikers, Everton has yet to secure a dependable long-term option, leading to ongoing selection dilemmas. Their recent home victory against previously unbeaten Crystal Palace marked the third time in four matches that manager David Moyes felt compelled to substitute his centre-forward at half-time.
While Moyes praised Beto for his impact after replacing Thierno Barry against Palace, he noted that the 27-year-old "should have buried" a close-range header, which ultimately resulted in Jack Grealish scoring a stoppage-time winner. Beto also squandered a clear opportunity to score in the 2-0 defeat against Manchester City last weekend, failing to convert a low cross from Iliman Ndiaye into an open goal. This season, Everton's two strikers have managed just one goal between them in 16 Premier League appearances.
The Men in Possession
Barry, a £27 million summer signing from Villarreal, is understandably adjusting to the pace of Premier League football, having only played in a top European league for two seasons. The 22-year-old scored 11 goals in La Liga last season and, while he has shown promise, he remains a raw talent requiring patience.
Guinea-Bissau international Beto, who joined from Udinese for £21.5 million two years ago, often frustrates Everton's fanbase. He demonstrated his potential with five goals in four matches in February, crucial for steering Everton away from relegation. However, he has also had moments of disappointment, such as a miskick in front of an open goal during a goalless draw with Aston Villa in September.
“Beto epitomizes the struggle,” said Mike Richards from the Unholy Trinity podcast. “With Udinese willing to accept a deal that involved no initial payment, it was a deal of convenience rather than quality. He won’t be the 20-goal-a-season striker we crave, despite the affection many have for him. Barry has been brought in as a development project—a young player who needs patience, support, and faith from both the club and supporters.”
Replacing 'Big Rom'
Lukaku joined Everton in 2013, initially on loan from Chelsea, before making a permanent move for a then club-record fee of £28 million the following summer. The Belgium international excelled at Everton, surpassing Duncan Ferguson as the club's record Premier League scorer with 68 goals in 141 appearances, averaging a goal every 175 minutes.
Since Lukaku's departure, no Everton forward has come close to matching his performance. The striker with the best goals-to-minute ratio in the last decade has been Oumar Niasse, a £13.5 million acquisition from Lokomotiv Moscow in 2016, who scored once every 163 minutes, albeit with only eight goals in total.
Niasse, a close friend of Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye, still attends home matches. “At a club like Everton, being a striker means you have to perform every week—it's not easy,” he said. “When I watch Everton now, I see some players struggling, and I understand because the pressure is immense at a club with such a rich history. We haven’t been where we should be recently. It’s hard to judge Beto; he is passionate and loves playing for Everton, but he needs to understand his game better and where he needs to improve.”
The Good
Everton has faced near misses in their search for an elite goalscorer. Richarlison, who Everton will face on Sunday, is a prime example of timing issues. A cult hero after joining from Watford for an initial £35 million in 2018, the Brazilian reached double figures in three of his four seasons at Everton, despite spending much of his time on the wing.
In his final season at Everton (2021-22), Richarlison made 66% of his Premier League starts at centre-forward, scoring 10 goals to help avert relegation. However, as he was becoming more established in a central role, the club's precarious financial situation and Profit and Sustainability Rules led to the acceptance of a £60 million offer from Tottenham in July 2022, with one year remaining on his contract.
For Dominic Calvert-Lewin, fitness issues have been a significant setback. He joined for just £1.5 million from Sheffield United as a 19-year-old in 2016 and was a prolific scorer under Carlo Ancelotti, earning national recognition. He scored the winning goal to secure Premier League safety against Crystal Palace in May 2022 but struggled with injuries, finding the net only three times in his last 28 appearances before departing when his contract expired earlier this year.
The Bad
Everton's revolving door of managers, with nine permanent bosses in 12 years, has made it increasingly difficult for strikers to establish themselves. Cenk Tosun joined for £27 million in 2017, but after a managerial change to Marco Silva and subsequent injuries, he returned to Besiktas after scoring just nine league goals.
Moise Kean arrived to great fanfare in 2019 following a breakout season at Juventus but managed only two Premier League goals before returning to Italy two years later. Short-term signings like Salomon Rondon, Joshua King, Enner Valencia, and Armando Broja failed to make a lasting impact, while Barcelona academy graduate Sandro Ramirez made only three league starts in four years.
Neal Maupay also struggled, scoring on his second appearance after transferring from Brighton for an initial £12 million, but that was his only goal in 29 Premier League outings.
Will Everton Buy in January?
Limited resources have significantly hindered Everton's ability to address their striker situation.