Beto confirms Everton tried to sign him in January prior to summer Goodison Park arrival
Beto has confirmed Everton were unsuccessful in trying to sign him in January before he eventually joined from Udinese last month.
The Portuguese striker arrived at Goodison Park on a four-year contract on 29 August for a fee rising to £30million [BBC Sport].
While Everton were unable to land Beto earlier in the year, their previous interest played a part in his decision to make the switch to Merseyside seven months later.
“Everton is a historical club,” he told his new side’s official website [20 September].
“A big, big club in the Premier League, well-respected and they have a big history. It was easy to make this move.
“Also, when a club like this tries to buy in January and then comes again in the summer, you feel like, ‘Okay, they want me for real’.
“That made the decision even easier for me as well.”
Second time lucky
Udinese director Pierpaolo Marino revealed in February that an “important, huge bid” had been tabled for Beto, which Fabrizio Romano claimed at the time was from Everton.
The Toffees clearly knew what they were after as that interest continued into the summer, before a deal was eventually finalised late in the window.
Beto has made an impression on supporters in his first three games for the club, during which time he has found the net once.
The 25-year-old has something about him and there is hope among the fanbase that he can repeat his feats of the past two seasons in reaching double figures for league goals.
Should he manage to do that, it will take a huge amount of weight off the shoulders of strike partner Dominic Calvert-Lewin and will go a long way to helping Everton beat the drop.
As this deal shows, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
In other Everton news, a worrying report has emerged regarding the future of the Toffees amid the ongoing takeover talk.