Everton will finally play their first home Premier League game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium this weekend as Brighton and Hove Albion visit.
Everton showed signs of progress under David Moyes last season, but fans have been left concerned this week.
The Toffees lost 1-0 at Leeds United on Monday night, with Lukas Nmecha’s late penalty condemning Everton to defeat.
Jack Grealish made his Everton debut off the bench, but couldn’t help Moyes’ side find the net at Elland Road.
Now heading back to Merseyside for this weekend’s game against Brighton and Hove Albion, fans would love to see a win as the Hill Dickinson Stadium finally hosts Premier League action.
Grealish is looking forward to facing the Seagulls and would surely love to start in Everton’s first home game of the season.
Everton striker Beto in action against Leeds United
Photo by George Wood/Getty Images
David Moyes faces major Everton problem against Brighton and Hove Albion
Moyes will weigh up whether Grealish is ready to start, given his lack of match action, but he also faces a real quandary up top.
Beto started up front for Everton against Leeds but was completely ineffectual, failing to hold the ball up on numerous occasions.
The Guinea-Bissau forward is a streaky player at the best of times, as he went on a stunning run of five goals in six games back in February, but then managed just two goals in his next 11 games.
Beto has started the season as Everton’s leading striker, but his poor display at Leeds has left many fearing that his February run was merely a purple patch rather than a sign of things to come.
The problem for Moyes is that, even if he wants to drop Beto against Brighton, he isn’t exactly blessed with alternative options.
Everton signed Thierno Barry over the summer, investing in the Frenchman after 11 La Liga goals for Villarreal last season.
The 22-year-old has big potential, but Moyes feels Barry is not yet ready to start regularly in the Premier League.
Barry may need to be introduced gradually, meaning Moyes may need to go with Beto at the head of the Everton attack once again this weekend.
Moyes really needs to see an improvement from Beto this weekend, or he may yet be tempted to make a move for another striker before the transfer deadline.
Jamie Vardy backed for Everton move
Moyes and Everton may consider other striking options in the coming days, and Jamie Vardy has been backed for a move to Merseyside.
Former Everton defender Alan Stubbs told TalkSPORT earlier this week that he thinks Vardy would be ‘perfect’ for the Toffees.
Stubbs believes Beto and Barry are ‘very similar’, and thinks veteran free agent Vardy would bring ‘something different’.
“Oh, 100 per cent. I think he’s very different to what we’ve got as well,” said Moyes.
“We’ve got two very similar strikers, two big lads, but we haven’t got anyone who’s that direct and most importantly, a proven goalscorer. You look at Iliman Ndiaye, Jack Grealish, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall; they’re players who are looking to slide balls in down the side.
“They are looking for a clever player to run onto them. I’ve got to be honest, I think Vardy is a perfect player for Everton right now,” he added.
Whether Moyes agrees remains to be seen, but if Beto gets the nod this weekend, he really needs to turn his performance level around and prove that Everton don’t need another striker after all.