Everton have lacked a ruthless centre-forward for a while now.
At the moment, Beto and Thierno Barry are the two options for the Toffees, but both have faced criticism for not scoring enough goals.
Beto has seven for the season so far, while Barry has six.
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Romelu Lukaku of Everton celebrates his goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Hull City and Everton
Credit: Getty Images/Alex Dodd – CameraSport/Alex Livesey/Jan Kruger.
Given the pair cost over £60 million combined, those returns are underwhelming.
It remains to be seen if either player stays at the club beyond the summer, with reports indicating that Everton will look to sign a new number nine this summer.
But either way, both should be looking to take the advice of Gary Lineker, who was asked about the pressures of being a striker.
Gary Lineker shares mentality tip Beto and Thierno Barry should take
Gary Lineker smiles.
Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images for the NTA's
It is certainly not easy to score goals in football, especially in a top league such as the Premier League.
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Most of the time, they are reliant on the service of their teammates, and they can go long periods without any kind of involvement in the game.
And there is always a lot of pressure and expectation for them to be the ones to score goals.
Perhaps Barry and Beto have felt this pressure at Everton.
For ex-Toffees striker Gary Lineker, who scored 331 senior competitive goals during his career, with 40 of those coming for Everton, becoming a top striker who keeps pressure at bay is all about mindset.
Speaking to Micah Richards on the Rest Is Football podcast, he said: “I can’t speak for defenders, but I think as a striker, as a forward, if you’re not glass half-full, then you’re never going to be a good striker.
“Because you’ve got to believe, right? You’ve got to be positive, believe you’re going to score the goals. That’s absolutely imperative.
“Firstly, I think the top strikers will always be (glass) half-full and full of optimism and belief.
“Defenders by nature want to stop things. Forwards want to make things happen. So we’re both different. I suspect there is a different mindset between players.”
Everton need a ruthless number nine
Everton have a great squad of players right now, and it could ultimately deliver European football.
But if the club end up missing out, it will likely be down to not scoring enough goals.
The lack of a real killer up top is a problem Everton do need to address this summer.
Beto replaces Thierno Barry for Everton.
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Both Beto and Barry are capable of going on scoring runs. But these tend not to last very long.
In order for the team to go to the next level, Everton could really do with someone in the Romelu Lukaku mold.
The Belgian was unplayable at times during his spell at Goodison Park, and having someone like that again would be a game-changer.
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