Exclusive: Why Thierno Barry was never expected to reach Everton

Thierno Barry has worked extremely hard to find his way to Everton.

The towering striker joined the Toffees last year in July from Villarreal in a £27million deal.

The 23-year-old often frustrated supporters at first, and still does; he emerged as one of the better signings that Angus Kinnear and Co. made in that window.

David Moyes believes that Barry's recent goal-scoring form is a product of his hard work and the fact that he now has one season of English football under his belt.

The French-Guinean has six goals in eight games so far this season, and is set for plenty more game time, as he's the only senior striker available.

However, Barry made his way to Everton in the Premier League all the way from SK Beveren in Belgium, but was this always looking likely?

SK Beveren insider reveals surprise at Thierno Barry's Everton success

Barry joined Beveren in 2022 on a free transfer from French outfit Sochaux, and ended up scoring 20 goals in 33 games for the Belgian club.

He then made a move to Switzerland the following season, joining Basel, where he impressed for just over a year before joining Villarreal.

Speaking exclusively to Goodison News, former SK Beveren player and current analyst for TV Oost Bart Van Den Eede revealed the general consensus around Barry's time in Belgium, and why the Premier League never seemed to be in the pipeline.

He said: "When he arrived at Beveren in 2022 as a 19-year-old, he initially looked rather awkward. You could tell his technical skills weren't top-tier, but he had a tremendous drive to score goals.

"He was already quite tall back then, though nowhere near as strong as he is today; he’s clearly put in a lot of hours in the gym over the last few years.

"That huge drive to score is also his biggest pitfall, though—if things don't go his way for a few weeks, it shows in everything he does.

"Of course, four years have passed since then, and it might have improved significantly. Did we expect back then that he would make it to the Premier League via Basel and Villarreal? Honestly, I didn't."

The interesting trend Barry has already broken at Everton

Fast forward four years since his days with Beveren, and Barry is shining with Everton in the Premier League.

However, the forward is set to spend at least 18 months with the club after staying put this summer, something he has not done with any other team in his professional career.

That suggests that he's found a home at Hill Dickinson.

Though it's taken some time, Barry looks fully immersed in life in L3, and it's showing in his improved performances and mood.