Credit: Imago and BBC Match of the Day

Daniel Davis

Mon 23 March 2026 10:10, UK

Troy Deeney has selected Beto in his Premier League team of the week after his superb brace in Everton‘s 3-0 victory against Chelsea on Saturday.

The striker almost singlehandedly secured the Toffees’ all three points at the Hill Dickinson Stadium after delivering a performance bristling with intent and incision.

Beto will hope his display proves to be a turning point in his career on Merseyside, having scored just four times in the Premier League this season before his heroics at the weekend.

Supporters have often vented their frustration at his lack of end product, and it is fair to say that he has still not quite lived up to his hefty £26million price tag.

However, he more than deserved his flowers in the win over Chelsea, and Deeney has now singled him out for special praise. The pundit, though, also rightly still holds reservations.

What has Troy Deeney said about Beto?

No less than four Everton players made the cut in Deeney’s latest BBC team of the week, with Beto joined by Jordan Pickford, James Tarkowski and James Garner.

But while the latter three names have been regularly saluted for their efforts this season, the inclusion of the 28-year-old ace is the most notable in light of his past failures.

Indeed, Deeney is still not convinced Beto is the man to lead the line for Everton in the future.

“I am not sure Beto is a long-term solution for Everton’s goalscoring issues, but manager David Moyes is getting a tune out of him at the moment,” he wrote.

“It is impressive considering how poor he was earlier in the season.”

Beto proved his doubters wrong against Chelsea, but he will be the first to admit that his prior bright performances turned out to be mere flashes in the pan.

There is a reason that Moyes has often chosen Thierno Barry, a Premier League rookie, over him, but Beto has been busting a gut in training to prove him wrong.

Finally, he reaped his rewards.

Beto isn’t consistent enough

He has scored just 22 goals in his 105 appearances since completing his switch to Merseyside from Udinese in 2023 – a relatively poor return for any top-flight number nine.

A glance down his overall record for Everton highlights his most glaring issue: consistency. He has never been able to find a groove or rhythm, with displays coming in fits and starts.

While he has netted four times in his last eight matches, his goal in the 4-2 defeat by Brentford on January 4 was his first since the 3-2 victory against Wolves in late August.

Last season, the story was the same, with separate droughts stretching to 10 and 11 matches, leaving Moyes scratching his head and dipping back into the transfer market.

Praised for his humility by his manager, Beto has the right attitude to be successful at Everton, but he will need to keep banging in the goals to protect his long-term future.