Former Everton player Oumar Niasse has shared his thoughts on fellow forward Beto.
The Senegalese striker claimed it is ‘difficult to judge’ Beto, insisting it isn’t easy leading the line for the Blues.
“At a club like Everton, being a striker you have to respond every week – it’s not easy,” he said.
“When I go to watch Everton now and I see some of the players when they are in doubt, I understand because it is a lot of pressure and it is a club with a big story – but recently we have not been in the place where we are supposed to be.
“It is difficult to judge Beto because he is passionate and he loves playing for Everton, for sure.
“He just needs to understand his game, understand where his strengths are and where he needs to be stronger.”
RECRUITMENT OF STRIKERS MUST IMPROVE
Niasse will be familiar with Beto’s woes, struggling to adapt following his move from Locomotiv Moscow.
Surprisingly, Niasse has the best goals per minute ratio of any Everton forward of the past decade.
Indeed, the striker netted once every 163 minutes, with eight goals in 35 games for Everton.
Beto currently has 12 goals to his name, in 67 appearances for the Toffees. However, he is part of a wider recruitment issue for the club.
The Guinea-Bissau forward required no initial payment upfront following his move from Udinese. With the club’s financial issues at the time, it was a purchase of convenience.
Indeed, our overall recruitment in attack has left a lot to be desired post Romelu Lukaku.
With 10 strikers signed in the past decade for a total of £160m, it’s fair to say we haven’t had value for money.
Since Lukaku’s 2017 departure, we have found the net 357 times in the Premier League.
This is the lowest of any ever-present Premier League club during that time frame. For context, Leicester City scored 31 more goals during that period, despite spending two of them in the Championship.
Until we find a reliable, long-term solution to this persistent problem, our progress will continue to be limited.