Beto and Barry on borrowed time as Everton boss eyes another young striker

Reports in a UK national newspaper claim that the Blues manager is weighing up a January move for young player Franculino Dju as his current crop of centre-forwards continue to struggle in front of goal.
Everton v Crystal Palace - Premier League
Everton v Crystal Palace - Premier League | Matt McNulty/GettyImages

Dju is a brand new name to be linked with Everton as the 21-year-old is scoring freely in the Danish league, having netted fourteen times in the same number of games.

Clearly, the Blues' two strikers, Thierno Barry and Beto, have been a big disappointment this season, with only one solitary goal between them in the Premier League so far.

That lack of goals has been the major reason why the Toffees have not accrued as many points from their first eleven games as might have been expected given their performances.

Potential points have been dropped against sides such as Aston Villa, West Ham United, and most recently, at Sunderland, which would have significantly boosted Everton's position in the table.

In the Blues' last match, Barry started against Fulham and once again he was left frustrated that he could not score, although this time he did at least get the ball in the net, only for it to be ruled out offside.

Frustration has been growing within the fan base at the inability of the two centre-forwards, who cost altogether upwards of £50 million in transfer fees, to score the goals they are paid for.

Well, now it looks like David Moyes might be ready to dip into the transfer market again to try and solve his goals-scoring issues.

That is, if the report mentioned above is to be believed, with the story claiming that Moyes will target youngster Dju when the window opens at the start of the New Year.

Ironically, the former Benfica striker is an international teammate of Beto, with both representing Guinea-Bissau, so presumably they will know each other.

If Moyes is losing patience with his current forwards, this is something we can only speculate on. It is, of course, also uncertain whether he is genuinely looking at a player who, while on a scoring hot streak, has been getting his goals in one of Europe's lesser domestic leagues.

However, it will be necessary for Everton to be ready to go and sign a striker in January, despite the difficulties that will present, unless one of Barry or Beto can quickly find their touch in front of goal. Personally, I am not optimistic that it will happen.

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