Beto or Thierno Barry: This is who the stats say David Moyes should start for Everton
David Moyes is facing a striking dilemma at Everton this season, with the Scot lacking an obvious solution.
Beto was slammed for his performance against West Ham after appearing anonymous, despite the Toffees creating several chances.
The striker has been Moyes‘ first choice through the middle for much of this season, with his other option also failing to impress.
Everton signed Thierno Barry from Villarreal in a deal worth around £27million in the summer, but the French forward is yet to find his feet in the Premier League.
Beto is underperforming his expected goals this season, however, and the pressure on Moyes to find a solution is heightening by the game.
Everton are struggling to score goals
Incredibly, Beto has managed to register just one shot on target in Everton’s last four matches, but chance creation has not been a problem for the Toffees.
In the Premier League this season, no player has created more chances than Jack Grealish.
The winger has registered 17 since he arrived from Manchester City, and adding in the chances created by Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, the trio have registered 38 between them.
But Everton‘s strikers cannot seem to put the ball in the back of the net.
According to Sofascore, of the Premier League’s 12 players to have amassed over two expected goals this season, Beto is the only player not to have netted more than just one goal.
And the reading on Barry is not attractive either, the striker having failed to even register a shot on target in his limited time on the pitch so far.
The exploits of Ndiaye made the problem largely void for Everton at the start of the season, but a serious issue now appears to be developing.
In the last four games across all competitions, Moyes’ side have scored just twice, with both goals coming from players usually spotted in the defensive half of the pitch.
Beto and Thierno Barry offering very little
Perhaps Moyes would be able to justify his strikers’ lack of goals if Beto or Barry were making their contributions away from the goal.
Often, a striker can play in a more faciliatory role, holding up play, pressing well, and bringing his teammates into the action.
But Everton are not getting that from their strikers either. Beto is undoubtedly strong in the air, winning 3.7 aerial duels per game this season, but the 27-year-old is woeful in possession.
The Guinea-Bissau international is losing possession 8.2 times per game, and has created just one chance for the Toffees this season.
| Beto | Premier League 2025-26 (per game) | Thierno Barry |
| 0.3 | Tackles | 0 |
| 0.7 | Clearances | 0.2 |
| 0 | Successful dribbles | 0.2 |
| 1.2 | Ground duels won | 0.2 |
| 3.7 | Aerial duels won | 1.8 |
| 8.2 | Possession lost | 2.5 |
| 0.8 | Fouled | 0 |
Combine both him and Barry’s expected assists in the Premier League this season and you get 0.11 – a comically low return.
It begs the question, what are Everton getting from their current options through the middle, if anything?
The ability is unquestionably there – Beto scored 12 in all competitions last season, and Barry netted 19 in games that came in Switzerland and Spain.
And in the latter’s defence, the Frenchman is just 22 years of age, with Everton surely aware that they were not buying a finished product.
Moyes needs a solution now, however, and the Scot can only hope to be handed the answer for so long.
Who David Moyes should start for Everton
The stats would suggest Moyes should stick with Beto. The striker has vastly outperformed Barry on a statistical level this season.
The 27-year-old is getting more shots away per game, and is more successful against the Premier League’s sturdy defenders.
But perhaps it is unfair to judge Barry until we have seen him given a consistent run in the team.
Key takeaways:
- Barry was dominant in the air for Villarreal last season, finding himself among the very best for aerial duals.
- The striker found the net on 11 occasions in La Liga, with just one coming from the spot.
- When given the chance to start consistently, Barry can play an active role in his team’s build-up and chance creation.
The 22-year-old was strong in his Everton debut against Brighton, playing a role in the build-up to both of the Toffees’ goals.
Legendary former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry even praised the striker’s performance.
“Barry, I like when you have a striker that can hold the ball for you, invite players in, go on the counter. He’s mobile,” Henry told Sky Sports following the game.
“I’m sure he’ll always have been a player that people doubt at the very beginning and they end up liking him.”
But when Beto scored against Mansfield Town in the Carabao Cup, Barry was dropped to the bench, and has only returned to the starting line-up once.
As a young striker, it was always going to be difficult to adjust to the Premier League. That task is only made more difficult when consistent minutes from the start are hard to come by.
Moyes does have other options – Ndiaye spent plenty of time playing through the middle during his time at Sheffield United and Marseille, and even Carlos Alcaraz has been mooted as a potential alternative.
But Everton made an investment in a player they clearly believe in when they spent £27m to sign Barry.
If they want to see that potential realised, it is time to give the forward the backing, and let him show exactly what he can do.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Everton news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @goodisonnews