EXCLUSIVE: Former Everton striker Tony Cottee runs the rule over the current Blues' frontmen's scoring woes
Everton are going to struggle to find a striker upgrade in the January transfer window and the rest of the squad need to start helping out their goal-shy frontmen. That’s the verdict of the club's former forward Tony Cottee.
While Cottee took just 34 seconds to break his duck for Everton, going on to net the first of six hat-tricks for the club in a 4-0 win on his debut against Newcastle United after a £2.2m switch from West Ham United in 1988, Thierno Barry, a £27m summer signing from Villarreal, still hasn’t registered after 10 appearances while Beto has just two goals to his name this term, one of which was in the Premier League and came back on August 30 in the 3-2 victory at Wolves.
And Cottee told the ECHO: “You’ve got to get into the positions, but I feel for the lads. I remember last season that Beto went through a period where he was scoring goals and doing well for David Moyes, who seemed to be getting more out of him than the previous manager had done.
Author avatar
“When you go through these spells where it’s not happening and the goals aren’t coming, it’s hard. I had it in my career, including a couple of horrific ones for Everton where I’d go about 10 games without a goal, which for me was an absolute disaster because I prided myself on scoring a goal pretty much every two or three game.
“You’ve got to make sure you’re in the right area when the ball comes in. I remember one flashing across the face of goal for Beto in the first half.
“All right, it was a difficult one, but you’ve got to try and anticipate those. Don’t be afraid to miss and keep putting yourself in the positions.
“You can actually be trying too hard sometimes in these situations as I remember from my own difficult spells. You rush your shot, it’s really hard, but you’ve just got to try and keep your focus.
“I think when you start going five, six, seven games without a goal, you do become anxious and it’s only natural that you start thinking: ‘If I’m not scoring, is the manager going to look to put the other lad in or try a false number nine’, or whatever it might be.
“There’s the whole mental side of the game. But hopefully with Beto, he’s shown last season that the talent is there and if he can get a goal, he’ll hopefully be off and running again.”
Cottee was left on an agonising 99 goals from 241 matches for Everton, although after finishing top scorer in five out of his six seasons at Goodison Park, no subsequent player has netted more for the club and he remains joint ninth on its all-time list.
Amid links with a potential transfer move for England international striker Ivan Toney, now with Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli, in the January transfer window, Cottee believes that natural goalscorers are becoming an increasingly rare commodity.
Speaking in association with Casino.org, where to find real money slots, he said: “I think it’s an ongoing issue, not just at Everton. Where have all the centre-forwards gone?
“I don’t understand it. I think nowadays there’s too much coaching of players and they coach them so much to be an all-round player – which is great, everyone wants to be a better footballer, I get that – but sometimes you can take away the attribute of a goalscorer, like a Graeme Sharp, someone who is unique at what they do.
“We’re all saying the same thing, where are the goalscorers? Where are the Michael Owens and the Robbie Fowlers?
“They’re all gone, they’re not around anymore. That makes it really hard for someone like David Moyes.
“It’s all well and good saying: ‘Beto isn’t scoring, Thierno Barry isn’t scoring’, but you can’t just dip into the transfer market in the January window and take your pick of 30-goal-a-season strikers who are available because they don’t exist.”
Given the strikers’ struggles, Cottee believes that their Everton team-mates also need to chip in, but so far only Iliman Ndiaye has netted more than once in the Premier League.
The 60-year-old said: “From Everton’s point of view, you can’t keep creating chances and not have someone to put the ball in the back of the net. I still think they’re going to have a decent season, but they have to start scoring a few more goals as every team needs a goalscorer.
“If it’s not happening for the forwards then you need the midfielders to step up as well. It’s a team game, so you need Jack Grealish, Iliman Ndiaye, James Garner and Idrissa Gueye to chip in with the goals.
Find more about David Moyes will be angry over Spurs goals - Jordan Pickford must learn from Everton legend
Find more about Everton supporters warned to be careful over David Moyes fume - 'everyone is an expert these days'
Find more about Tony Bellew responds to Lee Dixon over Jordan Pickford remark as he identifies Everton 'unsung hero'
Find more about Everton history-maker strikes again as scholar paves way for win over Liverpool
“That’s a slight worry for me because not many of them, even Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who has been playing in the number 10 role and is a fantastic player, can probably be relied upon to get you double figures. From that point of view, it probably puts even more pressure on the forwards.”