After losing Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer over the summer, Everton will be hoping that Beto and new signing Thierno Barry can provide them with a rich source of goals. Already, Beto is off the mark this season, having bagged in the 3-2 win away to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
As for Barry, he is only a young player, so there should be far less pressure put on him. Yet, the Frenchman is a talented centre-forward who scored 11 goals in 35 La Liga games for Villarreal last term. He can certainly become a top-level striker in the future.
David Moyes would surely love for the strikers to have the same impact at Everton as Romelu Lukaku did.
The numbers behind Lukaku’s Everton success
Initially a loan move before the Toffees made it permanent, Lukaku’s time at Everton was excellent. He lit up Goodison Park for four seasons before joining Manchester United after the stellar performances he put in.
In 166 games for the Merseysiders, he found the back of the net 87 times and chipped in with 27 assists. His minutes-per-goal ratio was strong, too. The Belgian scored once every 160 minutes in an Everton shirt.
Although the weight of goals he scored only increased the further into his career at Goodison Park, it was that initial loan spell in 2013/14 that really showed how much of a success he could be at the club.
In his first campaign as a Toffee, Lukaku bagged 15 Premier League goals and assisted seven more in 31 games, and also scored in his only FA Cup appearance that season.
Averaging 0.7 goal involvements per game was certainly a strong start to life on Merseyside.
Whilst, overall, Moyes would love his two centre-forwards to recreate Lukaku’s impact at Everton, there might be another loan star who could add similar firepower to the Belgian in his debut season over a decade ago.
Why Jack Grealish is Everton’s new Lukaku
It was a hectic summer transfer window for Everton, who secured several new signings to bolster Moyes’ squad. Of course, they brought Barry to the club and permanently signed the likes of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
However, the marquee signing this summer for the Toffees was surely Jack Grealish. The England international signed on loan from Manchester City and has made an incredible start to life at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
In his two Premier League starts so far, the 30-year-old has already assisted four goals.
Two of those came in the 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion, with the other couple away to Wolves, including a pass that set Beto up.
Well, Everton’s supporters have certainly taken to Grealish well, although given the start he has made, that isn’t much of a surprise. Toffees supporter and tactical analyst Matt Smith said he has been a “game changer” so far.
Looking at the match stats from the games against Brighton and Wolves highlights Grealish’s impact so far. In both matches, he created three chances apiece, and away to the Old Gold, his off-the-ball work was clear to see. The 30-year-old won 13 duels at Molineux.
Touches
57
61
Passes completed
29/35
33/36
Ground duels won
5
13
Tackles won
3
1
Key passes
3
3
Assists
2
2
Just a handful of games into his Everton career, it is easy to see how Grealish can replicate Lukaku’s impact on loan as the Toffees’ newest talisman. The Belgian striker added firepower in attacking areas through goals and assists, and already, Grealish is doing the same thing.
The fact that Moyes has potentially uncovered Everton’s new Lukaku, in that sense, will be a huge benefit for the club. Life at the Hill Dickinson Stadium could not have started any better for Grealish, and he’d surely love to continue this form.