Beto spoke following his scoring return to the Everton starting line-up in the 3-2 win over Newcastle United at St James' Park
Beto has hailed his goal at Newcastle United as “the best finish ever,” but admits he should have scored a second to kill the game at St James Park, while also addressing his Everton future coming into question with interest in the January transfer window.
Starting his first Premier League game since the goalless draw at Burnley on December 27, the Guinea-Bissau international fired the Blues back ahead against the Magpies less than two minutes after Jacob Ramsey had cancelled out Jarrad Branthwaite’s opener. Home keeper Nick Pope spilled Dwight McNeil’s shot and Beto pounced upon the rebound.
He said: “This is the best finish ever. This is the best goal ever, as I always say to the keepers in the training ground.
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“Jordan was telling me: ‘You see, you like us to defend forwards, you can go to the rebound’, so for me it was really good, and I was pleased for that.”
The 28-year-old added: “It feels really, really good. We needed to win this game.
“We knew that it would be a really difficult opponent, but we needed to win to give an answer, because we lost last game and we needed to come with the three points and we did it, so I’m really happy.”
It could have all been very different though as before Newcastle’s second deflected equaliser from Jacob Murphy, Beto missed a golden opportunity to put his side 3-1 up when rattling the crossbar when through on goal after shrugging off Malick Thiaw and was let off the hook by replacement Thierno Barry restoring the visitors’ lead.. He said: “It was my bad.
“If the ball was out, I don’t care. But I can’t miss this one, it’s important for me, so I need to get better at this.
“Thierno came on and he did what he needed to do. We help each other out and we talk a lot in training.”
Although Beto was handed the number nine jersey last summer following Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s departure and he began the season as Everton’s first choice striker against Leeds United at Elland Road, he’s started only nine of their 28 Premier League matches. Asked whether this provided him with some extra motivation when selected against Eddie Howe’s side, he said: “Yeah, it was a little bit of this, but I need to prove to myself that I belong here.
“So, this game was really important to me to build my confidence and to score a goal to help the team. It was really important to me personally and for the team to get more confidence in myself, so I’m happy.
“It’s been disappointing, but this is football, I can’t put in my mind, thinking: ‘Oh, I’m sad, I’m not playing.’ I just need to keep working in the training ground, wait for my opportunity, trying to improve every day.
“When the season is finished, I can sit and see how it was a good season, how it was a bad season. The season is not finished yet, and me, I always think I can go out there and do my best every game. I will not always do it, but football is like this.”
Beto, who joined Everton from Udinese for £25.8million on August 29, 2023 on the back of netting double figures in back-to-back seasons in Serie A, was the subject of interest from both Italy and Turkey in the January transfer window with the likes of Juventus and Fenerbahce reputed to be in for his signature. However, he insists he was happy to stay and fight for the jersey.
He said: “It was okay because I’m used to it, you know. Since I came to Everton, it’s like this every January, so I didn’t feel any stress, nothing.
“I just put in my mind that I will train hard, I will try to get in the best shape, and if I leave, I will arrive there with a good shape and in good confidence. If I don’t leave and that is what happened, I also needed to be in good shape, with confidence, so I just don’t listen to the transfer rumours.
“Of course you want to stay, you want to show that you belong here, always.”
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