Sports
Everton hold talks over signing new striker who’s better than Barry
Everton were knocked out of the FA Cup at the weekend when they lost on penalties to Sunderland in their first match in the competition at the Hill Dickinson.
A 3-0 shootout loss to the newly-promoted Premier League side is not the way that they would have wanted to kick off their history of FA Cup matches at their new ground.
David Moyes was let down by his two senior strikers on the day, as Thierno Barry and Beto both missed from the spot with fairly poorly struck penalties.
Barry has only scored three goals in 24 appearances, per Sofascore, for the Toffees since his £27m move from Villarreal in the summer transfer window, and his penalty miss was not a step in the right direction.
Everton offered chance to sign new centre-forward
With the French attacker’s struggles since his big-money move to the Hill Dickinson last year, the club may be tempted to take up a chance that they have been offered this month.
According to TEAMtalk, Everton are one of a number of teams that have been alerted to the availability of Roma centre-forward Tammy Abraham in the January transfer window.
The report claims that the Italian side are prepared to cut his loan deal with Besiktas short if there is an opportunity to sell him to an English side before the end of the month.
It adds that Crystal Palace, Sunderland, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, and Leeds have all been contacted by agents to see if they would be interested in snapping up the former Chelsea number nine.
TEAMtalk also reveals that Aston Villa have an active interest in the former England international, as Unai Emery wants to bring in competition for Ollie Watkins, which means that it would not be an easy deal for the Toffees to do.
Why Abraham would be an upgrade on Beto for Everton
As aforementioned, Barry has not offered enough in front of goal in the Premier League this season since his move from Villarreal, with just three goals for the club in the top-flight this term.
That is why the Toffees should take this opportunity to sign Abraham from Roma before the end of the January transfer window, because the experienced marksman is a proven Premier League goalscorer who could provide David Moyes with a lift in the second half of the campaign.
Since joining Besiktas on loan from Roma, the 28-year-old attacker has plundered 11 goals in 21 appearances in all competitions for the Turkish side this season, per Sofascore. Meanwhile, no Everton player has scored more than four goals in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.
|
Abraham (25/26) |
Super Lig |
UECL qualifiers |
|---|---|---|
|
Starts |
14 |
4 |
|
Shots on target |
15 |
8 |
|
Goals |
7 |
4 |
|
Key passes |
12 |
6 |
|
Assists |
1 |
1 |
As you can see in the table above, Abraham has scored his 11 goals from just 18 starts in the Super Lig and Conference League qualifiers, whilst also creating 18 chances for his teammates in those matches.
His spell in Turkey comes after a return of 47 goals in 164 matches for Roma and AC Milan combined, per Transfermarkt, which included a 17-goal haul in the 2021/22 Serie A campaign.
Abraham, whose impressive hold-up play was described as “Didier Drogba-esque” by Rio Ferdinand, also has plenty of experience in the Premier League from his spells with Swansea and Chelsea, as shown in the clips above.
The English striker scored 26 goals in 89 appearances in the division before his move to Italy, per Transfermarkt, and racked up 15 league goals for Chelsea in the 2019/20 campaign, which shows that he can score goals in the Premier League.
All of these statistics display a pattern of goalscoring. Wherever he has gone, whether that is the Championship, the Premier League, the Serie A, or the Super Lig, he has scored goals at a decent rate.
Abraham has scored eight more goals than Barry in the current campaign in all competitions and he has the Premier League experience to suggest that he can hit the ground running as a January signing, providing Moyes with an immediate boost at the top end of the pitch.
Garner upgrade: Everton looking at signing Champions League winner on loan
This Everton target could enhance their midfield quality
Therefore, Everton should take this opportunity to snap him up from Roma if they decide to cut his loan with Besiktas short, because the Toffees desperately lack a regular goalscorer, and he has the quality and experience to suggest that he can fill that vacant spot.
