This is my point though, they tried and failed to find a 10 goal a season striker, why would you want them to do it again haha
I agree that full back is more of an issue, and we have really needed to upgrade there for literally 5 years so it's just appalling that we haven't done it. I think there's a bit more to the striker situation though, I know some people have got hung up on the idea of the two of them missing chances but to me the issue is that neither of them really does anything to cause teams problems themselves. They both try to work hard and Barry has done well at the basics recently - although at times it's been almost 'centre forward by numbers' stuff - but I do think it would make a bigger difference than you're suggesting having a striker who teams have to worry about a bit rather than one just sort of making up the numbers.
We aren't going down.
We aren't qualifying for Europe.
We're out the cup we had most chance of winning.
Unless circumstance dictates a long term target is available - I'd knock this window on the head.
Maybe a cheap loan.
No point signing Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcotts again.
We aren't qualifying for Europe.
We're out the cup we had most chance of winning.
Unless circumstance dictates a long term target is available - I'd knock this window on the head.
Maybe a cheap loan.
No point signing Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcotts again.
I think that's a fair opinion even if I personally wouldn't be so harsh on Barry, but my take on it is: if we're discussing transfer strategies, and we have a choice between giving more development time to our new young striker we've *just* bought and still only has 750 minutes in the league (less than a quarter of a full season!), or immediately giving up and dropping 70m on a top class ready-to-go striker, it's obvious to me which is the smart choice. Or even the feasible choice.
In a dream world where we can guarantee buying an elite prem striker for peanuts, sure, that sounds lovely. It probably isn't going to happen though yknow
I just quickly went through our games, we’ve had 5 goals scored against us by Strikers this year,
Hwang from Wolves
Ekitike
Haaland x2
Woltemade
Outside Hwang who is rubbish, these Strikers we all want us to sign don’t exist or cost 80 million
Leading Prem scorers:
Haaland - 17
Thiago - 11 (5 pens)
Welbeck - 7
Ekitike - 7
Mateta - 7 (3 pens)
Obviously Barry & Beto have been poor up to this point, but the game doesn’t revolve around a top CF banging in 15+ anymore
People's perceptions also get massively altered by a) timing and b) there being a lot more strikers that *aren't* Everton strikers than *are*. Strikers go on hot and cold streaks of finishing.
After Moyes came in last season, Beto scored 7 non-pen goals in the league in 16 games (the same number of games we've had in the season so far). If he'd done exactly that elsewhere at the start of this season, some posters on here would be enviously bemoaning why we can't have a proper goalscorer like Beto.
Thiago and Welbeck won't keep up this level of finishing, but someone else will go on a hot streak instead, and so there'll always be some 'real goalscorers' banging them in, even if only Haaland is the one who's actually doing it consistently.
Like I said, I'm not saying we should just go and sign another striker, i'm just saying I don't think reducing it down to 'his xG is 2.7 so no matter who we had up front they wouldn't have scored any more than 3' is a particularly accurate (or helpful) assessment of the situation.
I'm not quite sure how you've read a post which effectively says 'I know some people get hung up on the numbers but I think there's more to it than that' and thought 'I'll quote a load of numbers and say why are you so obsessed with how many goals he scores, that'll show him', but you have, so well done I guess.
I think a full back on loan should be the main target in January.
Then spend the next 6 months finding a goalscorer with pace. That will cost a lot of money but it's essential if we want to improve next season.
Sorry yeah I probably wasn't being clear. What I mean more is, with the amount of money it would cost to guarantee significantly upgrading at striker, you can use that money elsewhere for a more obvious and more certain improvement.
Sorry haha I wasn’t meaning to make it sound like you’re obsessed with anything, I just think this idea of getting a striker who teams have to worry about rarely exist outside the absolute top class ones who we can’t afford
8th time lucky!
I’m with you. We’ve hardly got a great track record when it comes to signing strikers who actually score, but that can’t be a reason not to replace them. I’d much rather we try again than keep persisting with what we’ve got. As it stands, our two strikers will be doing well to scrape 10 goals between them all season, which is criminal given what we paid for them.
ToffeeScot
Player Valuation: £20m
Think we should really try to get in Mainoo on loan, sort out the Garner contract and sign a RB. That would be enough to get over the line this Jan.
I think we need to give Barry more time, at least with our full backs, we haven’t just splashed 27 million a couple months ago8th time lucky!
I’m with you. We’ve hardly got a great track record when it comes to signing strikers who actually score, but that can’t be a reason not to replace them. I’d much rather we try again than keep persisting with what we’ve got. As it stands, our two strikers will be doing well to scrape 10 goals between them all season, which is criminal given what we paid for them.
knowing your history
Player Valuation: £35m
Moyes will be in for Ollie Watkins in the summer I think.
Tried to get McGinn and Jacob Ramsey last summer (Ramsey could be a target again given he's barely playing for Newcastle) so he's looked at Villa's rise and their mentality and probably thinks that would help here.
Sell Beto back to Serie A and then Watkins can come in as proven prem player and rotate with Barry. Also need another CF and that can be a more development type.
Tried to get McGinn and Jacob Ramsey last summer (Ramsey could be a target again given he's barely playing for Newcastle) so he's looked at Villa's rise and their mentality and probably thinks that would help here.
Sell Beto back to Serie A and then Watkins can come in as proven prem player and rotate with Barry. Also need another CF and that can be a more development type.
I don't really think that's true. I'm not talking about a striker who necessarily scores 20 goals or wins you a load of games single handedly etc, I'm more just talking about someone who might turn a centre half on the halfway line and get away from them, or offer a constant threat in behind because of their pace, or mean that any half decent cross into an area is dangerous because they're great in the air, or just be able to consistently look like they might create themselves half a yard to get a shot away in promising positions. Just things that make defenders and managers think about how they need to set up and how that affects the wider team as space is freed up etc. At the moment it doesn't feel like we have any of those things. Barry has shown some decent hold up play recently but like I say, a lot of that is fairly basic and more the type of thing that just gives you a semi-useful platform rather than the type of thing that opens a game up or switches you from defence to attack etc. Again, this isn't me saying we need to go and buy a player like this in January, or that Barry can't develop further, it's just a comment on why I don't think it's quite as simple 'it doesn't matter who plays up front, it wouldn't make any difference' or 'only £100m strikers do good things'.
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