Everton shelled out £30m on the signature of Thierno Barry in the summer transfer window.
After netting 11 goals in his debut season for La Liga outfit Villarreal last season, Everton decided to move quickly and sign Thierno Barry.
Barry hasn’t made the best start to life on Merseyside, as he’s failed to get off the mark in any of his nine appearances.
David Moyes has preferred Beto to the Frenchman and now there’s a report emerging which lifts the lid on how those around Finch Farm feel about the young striker.
Everton striker Thierno Barry.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Everton insiders consider Thierno Barry a ‘project’
According to The i Paper, Everton insiders believe it’s going to take some time before fans see the best of Barry.
It’s understood that Moyes and his chiefs deem Barry as a ‘project’ and they always planned to sign another centre-forward.
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They believe the £30m they paid for the 22-year-old was a smart bit of business considering the market at the moment.
Moyes should work with Barry during the international break on his hold-up play, as that was really lacking against Crystal Palace on the weekend.
The Scotsman actually substituted him after just 45 minutes.
Michael Keane reckons Barry just needs a goal
Often the rhetoric around struggling strikers is that they just need one goal to kick-start everything, and that’s what Michael Keane reckons for Barry.
“I think Thierno just needs that first goal, it would help him massively,” Keane told the Liverpool Echo.
“We’ve seen glimpses of what he’s about in training and what he can bring to the team with his power and his finishing, and he can also be very difficult to play against.
“He’s shown that in some of the Premier League games he’s played, but a goal will help him. Like any striker, when you’re not scoring, it can be tough, sometimes all you need is a tap-in, your fortunes can change and you feel more confident.
“I think he’s settled in well. He’s a good guy and although he’s pretty quiet and keeps himself to himself, he talks to the French-speaking lads and has got a lot of support from us within the group, and I’m sure he’ll come good.”
Clearly, there is a lot of talent there, Barry just needs time to adjust to his new surroundings, which is completely normal.