Credit: Imago

Samuel Fabre

Thu 2 April 2026 21:10, UK

Thierno Barry’s future at Everton is in murky waters, with his current relationship with the fans at an all-time low at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

There was a huge problem when Everton lost 2-0 at the Emirates earlier in March, as Barry’s friends were accused of celebrating Arsenal’s late goals, despite being in the away end.

This prompted ugly scenes where his friends were attacked by Everton fans, with the Frenchman then speaking out against the violence on Instagram after the match.

And when Barry came on as a substitute in Everton’s win over Chelsea, some Blues fans booed him, before he headed straight down the tunnel after the full-time whistle.

A lot of Everton fans have lost hope in Barry, but his potential to grow into a top-class player under David Moyes means he can’t be completely written off.

Thierno Barry has what it takes to be successful at Everton

Since joining the Toffees from Villarreal in the summer, Barry has had good and bad moments, with the latter overshadowing his progress throughout the season right now.

According to Sofascore, Barry has only had 32 shots in 31 appearances this season, which does show that he needs to do a lot more on the pitch, let alone off it.

The Scottish head coach has to get the young striker back on board with the project, as it has become one of the major talking points over the past fortnight.

However, while the Hill Dickinson faithful have run out of patience, Barry still has a lot of potential, and at 23 years of age, he still has a lot to give in what is his first season in England.

It mustn’t be forgotten that the Frenchman has scored six in the last 17 games, and the Toffees wouldn’t be in with a shout of qualifying for European football without him.

The graphic below shows how Barry has struggled for game time, but as was the case at the start of the campaign, he can definitely find a way back into the team.

The only way he can make up to the fans is by doing his talking on the pitch, but it would be foolish to give up on a number nine with his potential.

How can Barry take his game to the next level?

His strengths clearly lie in his physicality, which was seen when he set a Premier League record by winning 14 aerial duels against Man United in November.

And while his ball control and technical ability are raw, that is to be expected for a striker of his size.

Where he can improve is through his finishing in the box, as he’s never had an issue with linking up the play with those around him.

He seems to lack a killer instinct in front of goal, and that’s a quality every top-class number nine needs to have in their arsenal.

To have accumulated 6.14 xG in 1,645 minutes of Premier League football isn’t enough for a club like Everton, and it’s clear that this is an area he can improve on.

If he manages to add ruthlessness to his game, then Everton fans will definitely view him in a much more positive light.