Everton have confirmed this afternoon that Portuguese forward Beto has signed for an undisclosed fee thought to be around £30 million in total.
This deal feels like the first piece of genuinely positive news that Blues supporters have had for a long time now.
Beto is a quality forward with a proven record of scoring goals at roughly one every three matches, which is as good as anyone Everton have had for a long time.
Let’s be clear he isn’t a World Class striker, this club can’t attract those players, but represents a considerable upgrade on what has been available to Toffees boss Sean Dyche since the start of the season.
Of course, it would have been better if this deal could have been done a few weeks earlier before the campaign started. But this is Everton and things don’t get sorted out quickly with this club.
However, to give Kevin Thelwell some credit its seems as though this deal has been cleverly structured so the Blues don’t have to pay anything until the next financial year.
Will the new signing go straight into the team this coming weekend at Sheffield United? I would like to think it is possible.
That might be asking a bit much though, but maybe he could possibly come off the bench if he’s not consdiered ready to start by Dyche.
As I have previously outlined Beto’s strengths appear to be his ability to carry the ball from deep and use his pace and power to get past defenders where he can then either have a crack at goal himself or create chances for others.
So, it might require a tactical re-think for Everton to get the best out of their new forward rather than expecting him to fit into the current way of playing which might not best suit him.
There are other rumours of more signings and with three days to go before the transfer window closes on Friday.
The Blues do need more players including perhaps another forward with pace and a centre-back to provide greater choice and competition for the existing options at the back.
Anyway, hopefully the new striker can hit the ground running soon and start provding the goals this Toffees team desperately needs.
Bem-vindo Beto!