Everton have found goals hard to come by from their strikers under David Moyes this season, and they could now be set to target a clinical forward in January.
After a run of frustrating results, the Toffees knew that their clash against Fulham came with added pressure to claim three points in front of an expectant home crowd at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Idrissa-Gueye
The Cottagers had their fair share of chances, though Everton prevailed comfortably against Marco Silva's men courtesy of goals from Idrissa Gana Gueye and Michael Keane.
Speaking post-match, Moyes made it clear that his side are keen to become more clinical to improve their Premier League position as they seek to add high-calibre stars similar to Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as part of their long-term strategy.
"We don't want to lose what we've had – desire, heart, commitment – but I think we had to try to find a way of getting a little bit better at certain things, and I think we have to build. Look, I trust the owners will help us in all the windows as we go forward and we'll try to make things better as we go along.
"We need to get people believing in Everton like we do, like the supporters here do, and what we want us to be in the future. To do that we need to keep picking up the wins and attracting top players like Kiernan and Jack Grealish and players of that ilk. We need to keep attracting that level of players to come to the club."
Still, their profligacy in the final third is a concern. Beto has netted just twice this campaign, while £27 million summer signing Thierno Barry has yet to score since arriving on Merseyside.
There is a feeling that Everton could be further up the table than their current mid-table predicament with a little more luck in front of goal, and they may now have identified a potent answer to their scoring problem.
Everton eyeing move for FC Midtjylland striker Franculino Dju
According to Football Insider, Everton are keen on FC Midtjylland striker Franculino Dju after his haul of 18 goals this term for the impressive Danish outfit.
Adding further context, Toffees officials were present to watch the Guinea-Bissau international against Celtic last week, where he expertly beat Kasper Schmeichel with a curled strike to seal a 3-1 victory for the hosts in the Europa League league phase, where they sit at the summit.
Everton's strikers in comparison with Franculino
Beto
Thierno Barry
Franculino
Clearly, there is a vast difference between Franculino and both of Everton's current forwards when it comes to the sole measure of goals. Iliman Ndiaye leads the way for the Toffees with four strikes this season, though the fact that Michael Keane is their joint-second top scorer tells a story in itself.
Intriguingly, Moyes is reportedly keen to offload Beto in January and Barry may not be far behind him if his poor form continues, creating room for new reinforcements in mid-season.
Everton have also entered the race for a renowned European forward
Undoubtedly, the Toffees' boss has made comments on Everton's ambition at a telling time, and Franculino could well be an excellent solution amid his return of 51 goals in 98 appearances for his current employers.