The Everton Script has been flipped for Beto and Barry

The Everton Script has been flipped for Beto and Barry Around about Christmas, it finally seemed as though it had clicked for Thierno Barry. A striker who had not managed to have a shot on target in a Premier League game until early December had been given patience by most fans and time in the team to develop. Sure, he had his doubters, but at 22, just turning 23, Barry was always going to take a little while to fully adapt to his new club, in a new league, in a new country.

And after scoring his first Everton goal on December 6, when he put the Toffees 2-0 up against Nottingham Forest, he looked as though he would prove the doubters wrong. Another goal against Nottingham Forest followed to close out 2025, before Barry scored against Brentford, Aston Villa (a lovely, dinked finish over a sprawling Emiliano Martinez) and Leeds United in January. Yet by the end of February, Barry had been moved back to the bench.

There was nothing wrong with this, really. His performances, as would be expected for a young player, had dipped a tad, and Beto — who had snatched a last-gasp leveller against Brighton at the end of January, was ready for a run. Beto went into the January window at risk.

Everton would almost certainly have sold the 28-year-old had they been able to get an adequate striker in. They wanted Tammy Abraham, but the former Chelsea forward preferred a return to Aston Villa. Yet by the end of February, the starting striker position was Beto’s to lose.