Former Everton striker Yakubu has delivered a frank assessment of the club's current forward options, urging David Moyes to sign a consistent centre-forward this summer. The Nigerian, who scored 33 goals for the Blues after joining from Middlesbrough in 2007, believes neither Beto nor Thierno Barry has made the position their own.
Yakubu's verdict on Beto and Barry
Speaking to ToffeeWeb, Yakubu said: 'It's quite difficult when you look at Barry. He needs time. Many players take time in the Premier League, and in the Premier League you don't have that time. You can see he can run channels, we just need to keep the ball more.' He added: 'When you look at Beto, I swear, you know, he's so big and he's tall. I watched him when he was at Udinese, in Italy, and I was like: This guy will be so good in the Premier League. Then, lucky for us we got him, but we expect more from him as a striker.'
Yakubu highlighted inconsistency as a key issue: 'We need a striker who can be doing it every weekend, not scoring today, then the next week we're struggling. From the fans and supporters, as a striker when you're not scoring goals, there's a lot of pressure. We just need that striker who can deliver, week in, week out, for us.'
Liam Delap interest and transfer priorities
Everton attempted to sign Liam Delap from Ipswich Town last summer, but the 23-year-old chose Chelsea instead. After a difficult debut season at Stamford Bridge with just two goals in all competitions, Delap remains on Everton's radar, though a new striker is not the club's most pressing need. Yakubu commented: 'When you look at Delap, he did very well at Ipswich, scoring goals, and then moved to Chelsea. It's a massive leap from Ipswich to Chelsea, you know? He's found it difficult. To bring him from Chelsea to Everton, it's not going to be easy. It would be a massive boost to the team, but can he do the same as he did at Ipswich? Who knows.'
Yakubu believes Everton need multiple additions: 'We need three or four players. A right-back, a midfielder, and I think if we have a striker who can score goals, we'll be fine.'
Everton's summer business so far
Everton have made a promising start to the transfer window, signing Hayden Hackney, Tyrique George, and making Merlin Rohl's loan permanent after securing Premier League safety. However, fans are still awaiting a new right-back, and some want a centre-forward. Beto scored nine Premier League goals last season from 17 starts, while Barry netted eight in 21 starts. Both have attracted interest: Beto is in the final year of his contract, and Barry is a target for RB Leipzig.
Yakubu's own Everton career saw him score 21 goals in all competitions in his debut season, becoming the first Blues player to break 20 goals since Peter Beardsley in 1992. A ruptured Achilles tendon in November 2008 hampered his progress thereafter.
