11 May 2025 11:02:12
With all the differing opinions on Beto thought it would be interesting to have a look at Moyes track record when it comes to centre forward recruitment.
Whilst Moyes has signed some really good players over the years, if you look at his centre forward recruitment not attacking players in general but those players classed as a centre forward it’s actually quite poor.
Fans calling for Beto to be sold and replaced by someone better may actually be disappointed with the replacement based on Moyes centre forward signings.
For every Yakubu and Jelavic there’s at least a few of the likes of Beattie, Saha, Johnson, Jukitewicz, Beckford, Gueye, Ferrari, Hugill, Vellios, Ings and Scamacca.
Whilst I appreciate some fans want to see Beto replaced - if those same fans believe Moyes will find us a gem - there may be significant disappointment as he definitely has signed far more poor centre forwards than good ones, which is strange as in other areas of the pitch he’s done some excellent recruitment.
11 May 2025 12:13:00
I don't think it is that strange. Recruiting a high performing striker is widely known as the hardest position to fill and many top managers and clubs get it wrong.
Saha and Johnson may not have been knocking in 20 a season but they were probably around the 1 in 3 mark.
Jukitewicz was a kid, as was Gueye and Vellios.
Ings record before Moyes took him to West Ham was a consistent PL goal scorer. Hugill and Beckford were lower league punts and I am sure Ferrari was a centre back.
11 May 2025 12:37:21
Ferrari was a centre back. Was on loan from Roma I think.
11 May 2025 12:43:32
Forgetting the CF aspect, you've just described recruitment for every team. Buying players is always a gamble despite whatever due diligence is done beforehand. Johnson and Saha were decent acquisitions at that time and scored a few goals, the former probably would have got more if he wasn't homesick and had stayed a season or two.
Some of the others were just kids with high potential in their own age groups and we all know not everyone of the youngsters will reach that potential.
If we get a forward in that can hold up the ball, link play, stay onside, not give the ball away whenever it gets up top and chip in with goals then I don't see much disappointment from fans at all.
11 May 2025 12:49:32
BN - my bad with Ferrari
You do confirm my point though that there is no guarantee that Moyes will be able to replace Beto with a better goal scorer.
As you rightly say It’s hardest position to recruit into.
To buy a guaranteed goalscorer it’ll cost quite a lot of money - more money than the sale of Beto would likely generate.
Beto is currently got 11 goals in 2291 minutes in the league which is not far off 1 goal every 2 games for us which is considerably better than the majority of Moyes striker signings
Yakubu had 33 goals 6747 minutes and Jelavic 21 in 4578 minutes - both of which are pretty similar to Beto’s return for us.
11 May 2025 13:31:13
Is your point that we shouldn’t try to replace current players with better players? Surely we should aim to have a 20+ goal striker in the team. Not sure that’s Beto, but he’s be a decent back up.
11 May 2025 15:22:07
Not many prem clubs have 20+ goal strikers JB these days.
Think we have to aim for one but I think only a handful of players have hit that target this year (Salah, Isak and Haaland) with a few more 18+ (Wood, Mbeumo and Wissa) . Still two games to go though so there might be more.
Think we have to start with 10+ and go from there. Personally, I’d like to have a midfielder or two in and around that number also.
11 May 2025 16:07:11
JB - the point is we all want the team to improve, however it’s not as simple as that.
Trying to get the players to improve us is a massive task.
Players have got to be available, got to want to join us, got to want to be happy with wages offered, selling teams have to be happy with fees offered - there’s loads of issues - it’s not football manager.
There is an awful lot of work that needs to be done on the squad and I don’t think centre forward is the most pressing area this window - particularly given we’ve got a striker who’s currently averaging a goal every 2 games.
Beto is not to everyone’s liking as we’ve seen - but given the budget and work required in improving the squad I don’t think replacing him is a priority this window.
We could end up with a worse centre forward particularly when you look at how poorly Moyes has done recruiting centre forwards.
11 May 2025 16:37:27
You can have a great centre forward, but unless you have the players around him to create the chances then he won’t score 20 goals a season.
We desperately need creative players in our team, not ones who just run around a lot.
{Ed025's Note - i agree mate..
11 May 2025 17:13:06
Never said it was simple. Just said it should be our aim. Of course not every transfer will work out, that’s no reason not to try and improve the squad. If Moyes thinks we can do better, he’s in a better position to judge than us.
11 May 2025 17:29:21
No worries GD.
Absolutely I confirm your point. In fact, it doesn't matter if you spend 10's of millions on them, they still aren't guaranteed to score goals. Look at United's and Liverpool's recent striker buys.
You don't need to sell Beto to me mate. I was one of the first fans when he hadn't even got a sniff for us, calling for him to play over DCL. I got absolute pelters (and rightly so) .
That being said, it was purely circumstantial at that time. Do I believe he is the most effective striker at the club, absolutely but that is only because the other options are so poor. I also believe that Mykolenko is the most effective lb at the club but in no way, shape or form do I want him to be starting PL games as our 1st choice LB.
Beto is an honest lad and an effective striker who will score us goals. However, if we are getting offers of around 25 million for him, I would take it. We would make our money back on him and I think there are strikers out there that could at the very least match his goal output but offer other things to the side.
I would be going all out for Emegha at Strasbourg. He will end up in the prem in the next 1-3 transfer windows and whoever gets him will have a top, well-rounded and young CF. Perhaps what is most impressive about him is his ability to link up play for a big lad. I think he has something like a 75%/ 80% pass completion rate, which considering the position he plays, is outrageous.
I think what is important to bear in mind is that a lot of teams goals now come from the inside forwards. If you get a striker that can score but also get the most out of those around him, that is what I would be focusing on, rather than trying to find one player that scores all the goals. Given how meticulous opposing teams coaching staff are now, it wouldn't be long until teams started working out how to nullify them. It is much harder to do that when you have goals from all across the forward positions.
I would like to see us go after Emegha or any of the below. Some of them far better technically than what we have now and have the ability to play across multiple forward positions. Others, big and physical like Beto but more strings to their bow.
Kalimuendo - Rennes
Mika Biereth - Monaco
Jonathan Burkardt - Mainz
Demirovic - Stuttgart
Bonny - Parma.
11 May 2025 17:34:48
Before we look at more goals from Beto, we need to look at more goals from the wingers and cam. The reason the likes of Harrison, Lindstrom and Doucoure haven't got 10+ a season has absolutely nothing to do with Beto's hold up play.
11 May 2025 18:01:43
I wouldn't be bothered if our strikers only hit 10 goals a season as long as midfield and winers chip in with 5 to 10 goals too. In our current team it only looks like beto and Ndiaye can score for us. Remember under martinez when barkley, mirallas and delafeou chipped in too with lukaku plundering most of them.
11 May 2025 19:40:34
Some great replies in this thread.
As several have mentioned there are very few goals in the rest of the team without Beto (8) and Ndiaye (7) .
Next best scorer is McNeil (4) .
We’ve then got Keane, Doucore and DCL all on 3 and all those 3 are likely to be leaving end of the season.
We definitely need more goals in the team and centre forward area doesn’t appear to be the most pressing area to address.
We need goals from other areas of the pitch - hoping we can find another Arteta or Cahill this window.
11 May 2025 20:55:10
Brilliant thoughts an opinions lads as always me personally I would like us to keep beto as either no 1 or no 2 striker next season I like him me he does look bit clumsy but you can't fault the lads effort an commitment I think dcl is off though but as Dan as mentioned its bloody hard to find a forward to guarantee 15+20 goals season but as chris as mentioned aswell he needs better players around him and harrison a doucoura are just simply not the answer and compering his contract to salahs i just pissed meself laughing salah is one best forwards in world his goal to ratio these last 5 years is absolutely crazy and harrison sorry he can run at best can't pass can't cross and definitely can't score but please everton whoever is in charge of transfer recruitment please buy Charlie alcarez 15 mil is a bargain and I have seen enough of him in a blue shirt to activate that 15 million buy clause.