Everton boss David Moyes. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)placeholder image
Everton boss David Moyes. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
David Moyes has defended his strikers this season but could the Everton boss take advantage of a disgruntled England international’s situation?
David Moyes isn’t stupid, he’s been around long enough to know that his Everton squad is still some way off where it needs to be to compete at the sharp end of the table.
The Toffees boss recruited well in the summer, however, a few injuries and a suspension or two has seen Moyes struggling for options during a packed fixture schedule. One area where he has options, but a lack of quality, is in the no.9 position where Thierno Barry has been trusted with a run of games despite an alarming lack of goals since his £35m move from Villarreal.
David Moyes makes Thierno Barry defence
Moyes has previously explained why so much patience has been afforded to the France Under-21 international: "What we have chosen to do at the moment is giving him the opportunity to play, to show what he can do. I think it is great what the supporters have done; they have backed him big time and it has given him great confidence. But saying that to get a cheer from supporters, you have to do the right things; you have to show your willing. I think if you work hard enough, you will be well accepted.
"Ultimately if you are trying to reach the top levels against Newcastle and others like that, then any small opportunity that come around you have to take your chances and score from them. “We need him to come up with goals, that is part of the job if you are a number nine. But we are happy with the way he is playing at the moment. He is certainly beginning to get used to the Premier League and Everton."
Who Everton should sign in January
Moyes has shown his support for Barry, but this doesn’t mean that he won’t explore other options in January, especially when there is a proven goalscorer in the Premier League unhappy at his current situation and potentially looking for a new club.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Alan Pardew reckons that Ollie Watkins could be available: "I think Ollie wants to move, if I’m honest. And I think he has a fairly good reason because when they got to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and he got left out for a player on loan in (Marcus) Rashford in both ties.
"(He’s) the high profile guy, he’d earned the right with all the goals that had got them there and then he doesn’t play. I just think there’s a bridge burned there that is difficult to come back from. I do think that relationship is broken. I might be wrong, but looking at his body language and everything else about him, probably best for everybody for him to move on. He’s a great player and to get into the England frame, he might need to move on."
The only thing consistently missing from Everton’s season has been a goalscorer, in a World Cup year, Watkins will be looking to play more regularly and the Hill Dickinson Stadium could be the perfect venue to showcase his talents. It would also ease the burden from Barry and help his long term development too.
Watkins has 88 goals and 42 assists in 242 games for Villa, it’s the kind of goalscoring and assisting experience the Toffees are crying out for.
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