James Beattie has been speaking about Everton's summer transfer business and the move to Hill Dickinson Stadium
David Moyes during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Everton at Elland Road. Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
David Moyes during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Everton at Elland Road. Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Former Everton forward James Beattie believes David Moyes is still in the hunt for more attacking options – as he told Thierno Barry how to hit the ground running at the club. It has so far been a summer of transition for the Blues, with seven new additions arriving, while a deal for Tyler Dibling moved closer after Southampton dramatically dropped their asking price for the winger and talks resumed between both clubs.
One of those to arrive is Barry, who moved to Hill Dickinson Stadium from Villarreal last month for a fee in the region of £27million. The France under-21 international joined Beto and Youssef Chermiti as Everton's centre-forward options for the new season after Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s departure.
And Beattie believes as a result of Calvert-Lewin’s departure, Blues boss Moyes will be looking to add another forward to his squad.
“Knowing David, he would want maybe three or four strikers,” he told Betway. “I think they'll probably make a move for somebody else as well, having lost Calvert-Lewin this summer.”
Barry, who came off the bench as Everton were beaten 1-0 by Leeds United on Monday night, scored 11 goals in 35 LaLiga appearances last season, and Beattie believes an early goal could be massive in helping him hit the ground running.
He said: “Any football fan would want to see a player come in and give maximum effort. I think that's a minimum requirement.
“Barry will get to know pretty quickly what the Everton fans demand, and that will translate into the noise they make.
“That was previously at Goodison Park, but hopefully they can transfer that to the new stadium. But he's shown glimpses of what he can do at Villarreal.
"He's big, he's quick, he's strong, and his movement is very good. He makes sacrificial runs to create space for others – which is impressive.
The Royal Blue podcast logo
The Royal Blue podcast logo
“But it’s important for him to play his normal game because that's why David’s signed him. Moyes has seen what he can do at Villarreal.
“So if he just concentrates on being himself, then I'm sure that the attributes he does have will endear him to the Everton fans in no time. And of course, an early goal would help him massively.”
The Blues kicked off their Premier League campaign at Elland Road, and Sunday sees them launch a new era at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Beattie was part of the Southampton squad that moved from The Dell to St Mary's back in the summer of 2001.
Opening up on the experience, he revealed: “With my own experience, we moved to St Mary's, and I don't think we won for about two months.
"It's a change of environment. I think there'll be training sessions on the new pitch, and there'll be pre-season games. But it'll be about how quickly the players can adapt to it being full.
"If the Everton fans, which I'm sure they will do, translate the atmosphere that they created at Goodison, then it's going to be some noise.”