Everton could be eyeing up another risky striker signing with Etta Eyong having already learned the hard way with Thierno Barry.
David Moyes will head into the summer transfer window with a new striker on the radar having witnessed Barry and Beto’s struggles this season.
Having started the majority of the games for Everton, Barry has struggled considerably to find any consistent form in the Premier League.
Despite this, Everton are reportedly eyeing Karl Etta Eyong, who ironically also departed Villarreal last year, but he remained in La Liga with Levante.
Is is time to drop Barry? 😬
Barry has struggled to make the transition from Spain to England, which should surely act as a warning to Angus Kinnear and his recruitment team.
- READ MORE: Everton-Liverpool behind-the-scenes rivalry to deepen amid official Hill Dickinson Stadium reveal
Everton given Karl Etta Eyong warning after Thierno Barry struggles
Etta Eyong is currently 14 games without a goal for Levante, which dwarfs Barry’s record of a four-game drought in the Premier League.
The Toffees have seen a number of strikers land on Merseyside over recent years and fail to find their feet in the English top flight.
Winter window now shut, what striker do you want signed in the summer for Everton? 💥
No excuses can be made when the window opens again 😫
Lessons have to be taken from these failed signings and the same can be said about the struggles experienced by Barry since his move from Spain over the summer.
Eyong has returned six goals in La Liga this season, which is more than Barry’s Everton return, but the issue is they all came in the opening 10 games of the season.
The Cameroonian striker has not found the back of the net in Spain since October.
Interestingly, through comparing Eyong’s current returns to Barry’s 2024/25 season, with Villarreal, there can be some conclusions drawn.
| La Liga | Thierno Barry 24/25 | Karl Etta Eyong 25/26 |
| Appearances | 35 | 23 |
| Goals | 11 | 6 |
| Assists | 4 | 3 |
Last season, Barry was able to provide a return of 11 goals in La Liga for Villarreal, which is going to prove an uphill task for Eyong to match despite having a couple of months remaining.
The Friedkin Group wanted to make a statement in the summer window last year, but signing a striker statistically worse than Barry may not do much for their ambition on Merseyside.
Everton must choose their next striker carefully
Just a matter of weeks ago, Alan Shearer urged Everton to find an improvement at striker when the summer window opens.
A return of five goals from Barry is not going to fire the Blues into the European spots that remain in touching distance.
Moyes claimed the Friedkins were backing him in January, but the players they wanted to sign were seemingly unavailable.
This leaves no room for excuses when the summer window opens for business, with a striker among the pressing needs at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Receive a digest of our best Everton content each week direct to your mailbox
