‘Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is doing what Beto and Thierno Barry aren’t at Everton’
Former Everton and Leeds United striker Jermaine Beckford outlined why Dominic Calvert-Lewin is clearly outperforming Beto and Thierno Barry.
Calvert-Lewin left the Toffees after spending nine years at Everton, joining Leeds once his contract in L4 ran out.
He scored 71 goals in 273 appearances for the Toffees, and his goals helped the team escape Premier League relegation for several seasons, though he had several struggles with injury.
The 28-year-old has been a revelation at Leeds, finding the back of the net 10 times and leaving Everton fans thinking that they could have done with his goals this season.
And Beckford believes that Beto and Barry have gained extra criticism because they lack a killer instinct in the opposition box.
Beto and Thierno Barry aren’t natural finishers like Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Since joining the Toffees from Villarreal in the summer, Barry has struggled to find consistency up front.
His six goals this season have all come in the last 15 games, but there have still been doubts about his quality with the ball at his feet.
As for Beto, he was rumoured to be leaving Everton in the winter transfer window, and his tally of four goals is far from impressive.
| Beto | Stat | Barry |
| 29 | Appearances | 29 |
| 4 | Goals | 6 |
| 0 | Assists | 0 |
The Guinea-Bissau international has been scrutinised for his wasteful tendencies in front of goal, which have proven to be detrimental in certain matches.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Beckford feels that the Everton duo definitely have a lot of work to do up front.
He said: “I think the striker position is probably the area that needs improving the most at Everton.
“I obviously watch another of my old teams, Leeds United, a lot, and they’ve got the former Toffee Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha, and physicality-wise, all four of them are very similar; they all run channels and are reasonably quick with a turn of pace.
| Nmecha | Stat | Calvert-Lewin |
| 23 | Appearances | 26 |
| 7 | Goals | 10 |
| 1 | Assists | 1 |
“The difference between the Leeds pair and what Thierno Barry and Beto are doing at Everton is the finishing position. When they’ve been involved in the build-up play and move the ball out wide, then what do they do?
“The two boys at Leeds, they’re bombing straight for the box. You look at the two boys at the Toffees, yeah, maybe they might get there a little bit, sometimes, but not all the time.”
It’s clear that the Leeds duo are exceeding expectations, and in Calvert-Lewin’s case, it’s a painful reminder that he could have still played in a Blue shirt this season.
How big a mistake could letting Calvert-Lewin leave prove to be?
The Toffees have been impressive defensively, but it’s in the final third where they’ve struggled most.
Given the fact that they’re sitting eighth in the table, it’s a miracle that they’ve had such success with minimal goal threat.
If one of Beto or Barry were consistent throughout the campaign, then the Toffees would be pushing for a top-six finish.
Of course, they couldn’t have envisioned that Calvert-Lewin would be such a success at Elland Road after his last few years in L4 were hampered by injuries.
However, it could prove to be a costly mistake letting him go if the Toffees end up missing out on European football.
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