EXCLUSIVE: Everton's squad depth issues which have left David Moyes with just a single recognised striker up front have been discussed by Pat Nevin
Thierno Barry during the match between Everton and Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 6, 2026
Thierno Barry during the match between Everton and Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 6, 2026(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
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After Everton’s chaotic end to the transfer window left them with just one recognised centre-forward, a former Blues star reckons David Moyes could have an in-house solution to the dilemma that leaves his squad ‘striker light.’
Despite pocketing over £100million on deadline day with their most creative talent Iliman Ndiaye, last season’s top scorer Beto, Tim Iroegbunam and Nathan Patterson all sold, plus Adam Aznou loaned out, following the late collapse of the purchase of USA World Cup star Folarin Balogun from Monaco, Everton were left with a first-team squad that contains just one striker, one left-back and one right-back – Ainsley Maitland-Niles who has only just arrived.
Although their only remaining frontman Thierno Barry was one of just two players to feature in every Blues match in all competitions in 2025/26, along with Player of the Season James Garner, their respective periods on the pitch were rather different.
Garner totalled 3,714 minutes of football whereas Barry – who netted eight times – played just 2,066 minutes as he was deployed on something of a ‘job share’ with Beto.
Now Moyes has no like-for-like alternative for the Frenchman when it comes to shuffling his pack up front but Pat Nevin believes there could be a solution in the shape of a kindred spirit to himself - a wide man who swapped Chelsea for Everton.
Initially arriving at Hill Dickinson Stadium on loan, Tyrique George, who netted six times in 37 outings for the west London outfit, completed an £18million permanent transfer to Everton on July 6 and opened his account for his new club with a spectacular strike in the 2-2 draw against Manchester United on Sunday.
Speaking courtesy of Betpack, Nevin told the ECHO: “Tyrique George, he can do that job. I mean, he’s brilliant on the wing. He really is growing into his Everton career. You can see the confidence building up even before the goal.
“He looks the business, he looks all right. So, I’m confident that he'll be fine.
“But as a striker, he’s just a natural goalscorer and there’s plenty of players out there who can score and are not bad. He’s just quite natural at scoring, so you know in extremis he might be one of the options that's needed if Barry gets injured.
Tyrique George celebrates his goal with Thierno Barry during the match between Everton and Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 6, 2026
Tyrique George celebrates his goal with Thierno Barry during the match between Everton and Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 6, 2026(Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)
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“Having said that, you don’t want him there, you’d rather have him on the wing. He’s just as comfortable left or right, and the lovely thing about him is that he doesn’t think: ‘I might not go by the defender, I’ll turn back,’ he just goes forward and he really pushed a good set of defenders back.
“I think in that last period of the game (against Manchester United), he was Everton’s best player. The goal he scored was a cracker.
“But more than that, he’s now given a lot of trust within the squad. People are turning to him saying, right, okay, you need to be special now.
“He’s pretty capable of being very special. So, it’s exciting times.”
Nevin, who departed Stamford Bridge for Goodison Park for £925,000 and made 150 appearances between 1988-92, scoring 21 goals, added: “I would say being in the stadium, the Everton fans reacted to him better than any other of their players on the day, with the obvious exception of Jack Grealish, who they are deeply, madly in love with.
“But really, he’s won them over, and rightly so.”