The West Ham United supporters know better than anyone what sort of striker David Moyes, now in charge of Premier League rivals Everton of course, tends to bet his house upon.
Neither Sebastien Haller nor Gianluca Scamacca – two centre-forwards signed for a combined £75 million – managed to nail down a regular place in the Hammers XI with the veteran Scot preferring a more athletic, imposing alternative.
David Moyes played a massive role in Michail Antonio’s transformation from jobbing winger into crash-and-bang number nine.
And there are certainly shades of the recently-departed West Ham United icon in the man Everton have just picked to lead Moyes’ line from next season onwards.
Hammers News correspondent Graeme Bailey told TBR Football that West Ham had watched Thierno Barry during an impressive breakout campaign in Spanish football with Villarreal.
Barry now joins the ever-growing list of centre-forwards who have slipped out of reach for the Hammers, though, following in the footsteps of Jonathan David, Liam Delap, Ange-Yoan Bonny and Jonathan Burkardt.
David Moyes celebrates during Everton FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
David Moyes’ Everton sign Thierno Barry after West Ham United scouting mission
Thierno Barry had a £34.5 million release clause in his Villarreal contract.
Everton have managed to negotiate a deal worth £27 million, however, for a striker who scored 11 La Liga goals following his arrival from Swiss outfit Basel the previous summer.
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
“We are delighted to have brought Thierno to the club,” Moyes tells the official Toffees website as Barry becomes Everton’s second summer recruit following the permanent addition of Carlos Alcaraz.
“We see lots of potential and we are hoping for good things from him. We will give him plenty of time to settle in and we are looking forward to getting started working with him as soon as possible.
“I’m hoping to make more additions in the coming weeks.”
Thierno Barry is far taller than Michail Antonio at 6ft 5ins. He is a lifelong centre-forward too, compared to a man who changed roles relatively late in his professional career.
However, the mobility, the athleticism and the selflessness with which Antonio led the line for West Ham are attributes Barry is certainly capable of replicating on Moyes’ watch. The former also shares the latter’s penchant for eye-catching volleyed finishes, as Getafe found out in the spring.
Michail Antonio during Southampton FC v West Ham United - Premier League
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
Former Villarreal striker the latest forward to move out of West Ham’s reach
Graham Potter, hoping to one day emulate the Conference League-winning success Moyes enjoyed at the London Stadium, appears no closer to landing a new centre-forward of his own.
Mohammed Kudus’ impending switch to Tottenham Hotspur should free up the funds required, though. Kudus is close to joining Spurs for £55 million, Hammers News have been informed.
Of the aforementioned quartet, Jonathan David rebuffed West Ham’s advances before joining Juventus on a free transfer, Liam Delap made a £30 million switch to Chelsea, Ange-Yoan Bonny signed for Inter Milan over the weekend, and Burkardt now follows in the footsteps of Haller at Eintracht Frankfurt.
“I was brought in by Manuel Pellegrini but then David Moyes came,” Haller told The Guardian in 2022, the now-Borussia Dortmund forward leaving after just a year-and-a-half in the English capital.
“I was playing in a system that I didn’t really enjoy. Moyes preferred someone like Antonio up front, and I’m super happy he’s doing so well.
“I had a good time there with them but I was also really mad at the situation, [with] the way we were playing, the way I was playing, the way I was feeling…”
It is hard to imagine Thierno Barry, given his obvious suitability to a David Moyes system, airing similar grievances later down the line.
Michail Antonio left West Ham on July 1st, meanwhile, when his contract expired.