Everton striker Beto
Everton striker Beto
It's never boring at Everton, who survived a fraught summer transfer window and have shown a considerable amount of resilience over the first few months of the Premier League season.
David Moyes' side fell short at the end of 2025/26, but the manager knew that the right tweaks could fire this team into European contention.
david-moyes-everton
The right tweaks have not been made, and The Friedkin Group and technical director Angus Kinnear must be held accountable for weakening Moyes' position.
Up front, Everton are lacking in depth, and while he was something of a marmite player on Merseyside, there's no question that Beto shouldn't have been sold to Fiorentina.
Why Everton shouldn't have sold Beto
Aside from the obvious - that Beto's sale without replacing him has left Thierno Barry as the sole striker at Everton - the hulking forward may well have done a job at the club this season.
There's no question that he blew hot and cold for Everton, but the Bissau Guinean improved when Moyes replaced Sean Dyche in January 2025, scoring more goals than any other player for him.
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David Moyes' Top Scorers at Everton (2nd spell)
Player
Beto
Thierno Barry
Iliman Ndiaye
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
Charly Alcaraz
Michael Keane
James Tarkowski
Sure, he suffered some absolutely dreadful misses across his time with Everton, but Beto also scored goals, with a tall and powerful frame and a physicality when tussling against defenders that made him well-suited at the front of a Moyes system.
Moreover, Beto actually left the Premier League while riding a purple patch. Across the second half of the 2025/26 season, the 6 foot 4 striker scored six goals and supplied one assist across an eight-game period, hitting the kind of form Barry is still yet to muster for the Toffees.
All this said, Beto did blow hot and cold for Everton, and had a reliable replacement been welcomed before the end of the transfer window, we would likely be praising good business, an upgrade up front.
It goes to show that you should cash in when the time is right - just make sure you don't sell yourselves short.
Everton should put Moyes favourite up for sale
Everton are in development. Moyes has already spoken of his ambition, eager to find a way into Europe at the Hill Dickinson and maybe challenge for silverware too.
The overlords failed him this summer, but in isolation, it wasn't the wrong move to have pushed Beto toward the exit. If they can learn from their mistakes and sign replacements on time in the future, the same logic could be applied to versatile defender Jake O'Brien.
So far this season, Moyes has only handed O'Brien two appearances in the Premier League, both from the bench. Having signed Ainsley Maitland-Niles and featured Merlin Rohl at right-back, it looks like his days as a regular starter are over.
Like Beto, the Republic of Ireland international has established himself as a mainstay in the Scotsman's system, but the time is right for him to step away, having dragged on in a moonlit right-back role for far too long.
Jake O'Brien in action for Everton
Jake O'Brien in action for Everton
This obviously comes with the caveat that it would be inexplicable for Everton to trim further their squad without adding reinforcements, but the Scotsman has never trusted O'Brien as a central option, and he came close to leaving the club this summer, with Crystal Palace and Leeds United pushing to strike a deal toward the end of the window.
He was never infallible. He did a job, but the one-time Crystal Palace prospect lacked the fundamentals to thrive as a Premier League full-back.
And yet he played 35 times in the berth last season, hamstringing Everton in their build-up play, stifling Moyes in his hopes of dynamising and balancing out his Evertonian system. A solid defender, O'Brien only completed 0.2 dribbles per game (at a poor success rate of 30%), and he also failed to create a single big chance.
Let's hope Everton learn from their recent mistakes. O'Brien won't brook a future on Merseyside as a bit-part player. Ergo, he needs to be sold.
Of course, whether the Friedkin Group manage to strengthen this side remains to be seen. Supporters won't be holding their breath.