Credit: Manh Tung, Breaking Media

James Barker

Fri 24 April 2026 10:40, UK

Thierno Barry isn’t a popular player amongst Everton fans, after so far struggling to justify the £27million spent on him last summer.

Joining from Villarreal in July 2025, it was hoped that Barry would evolve into Everton’s centre-forward of the future.

He still might, but 36 games into his Toffees career, and he’s already been booed by some supporters and even written off by others already.

The 23-year-old France youth international is facing an uncertain future at Hill Dickinson Stadium this summer as a result, with Beto also having stepped up big time in recent weeks.

However, despite his struggles on Merseyside this season, what he has contributed by way of goals could yet make his significant financial investment worthwhile.

How much has Thierno Barry cost Everton per goal?

Barry’s Everton doubters are increasing with each passing cameo, most of them failing to see him make much of an impact.

Indeed, he’s not found the net in any of his last five appearances, with his most recent goal coming in the 3-2 win over Newcastle United on 28 February.

Having scored 11 times and provided four assists in 35 La Liga games for Villarreal last season, as well as also enjoying fruitful spells in Swiss and Belgian football, he’s shown that he does have the ability to be a potent force by way of goal contributions.

So, with his age and previous exploits, the £27m fee – as reported by BBC Sport among others – Everton paid for Barry last summer didn’t feel an unreasonable one.

They were paying for his potential and the evidence that he’d provided of him scoring goals prior, but with just six to his name in all competitions this season, many feel the Toffees have overpaid.

So, when you divide his transfer fee by the number of goals he’s scored this term, that works out at a cost of £4.5m per goal in 2025-26, which is an expensive figure to be paying.

Why Everton have got sneakily important value out of Barry

Barry hasn’t lived up to expectations so far on Merseyside: of that, nobody would disagree.

Six goals is not the return he was signed to produce, but when you actually dissect where those six strikes have been, you realise that they could be worth their weight in gold come the end of the season for Everton.

His first goal came against Nottingham Forest in the 3-0 win on 6 December last year, and it arrived in added time at the end of the first half, sapping Forest’s hope and confidence right before the break.

Next was once again against Forest, and it was his 79th-minute goal that won Everton the three points in the 2-0 victory on 30 December.

His third was in stoppage time during the 4-2 loss against Brentford, before his fourth was once again a match-winner, this time to snatch a 1-0 win away at Aston Villa on 18 January.

Barry’s fifth earned the Toffees a 1-1 draw at home to Leeds after going behind in that game, and his sixth and final goal so far was the 83rd-minute winner in the 3-2 triumph over Newcastle on 28 February.

Therefore, four out of his six Premier League goals have directly earned Everton 10 points this season, and without them, David Moyes‘ team would not be in the race for European football at all.

So, whilst he’s still got levels to find, improvements to make and fans to win over, make no mistake, Barry has contributed significantly to Everton’s current league position despite it being far from obvious that he’s done so.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Goodison Park.