Moyes has already discovered Everton’s next version of Thierno Barry

Imagine, when the summer transfer slammed shut and turned the key like a prison cell door, that Everton were told months later they would be challenging for Champions League football.

The summer transfer window was disastrous, and a damning indictment on wantaway owners The Friedkin Group and inept technical director Angus Kinnear. But David Moyes‘ side have been as durable as it gets, sixth in the Premier League after ten games, level with Chelsea and two points behind Liverpool in the top four.

REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff

Despite seeing much of their quality stripped away in the market, and despite the woes of Jack Grealish, who has been ostracised from the first team following an internal disciplinary suspension, Everton are bang in form, and much of it is down to the prolific form of Thierno Barry.

How Barry has turned his Everton career around

Had it been leaked at the end of the 2025/26 season that Everton were resolved to cash in on Barry and search the market for a new centre-forward, many Toffees supporters would likely have been on board with the idea.

But Barry is proving the doubters wrong, alright, having now scored ten goals across 13 appearances in all competitions this term. He has assisted three goals too.

The Frenchman, 23, is not what you might call a stylish striker. Many of his goals are scrappy, and he has missed more big chances (16) than any other player in the Premier League. In fact, second in that list is Bournemouth’s Rayan, who has missed eight big chances.

Even so, Moyes values the striker’s persistence, and it’s just as well, with Beto and Iliman Ndiaye sold and not replaced in August. To put that another way, Barry is all Everton have at No. 9 right now, and while he’s imperfect, he is playing a focal role in Everton’s defiant season.

Last year, Barry looked like a £27m flop for the Merseyside outfit, but he has rebounded this season, and Moyes must now put the same kind of faith in an Everton fringe player with the potential to become a superstar at the Hill Dickinson.

Moyes has already found Everton’s next Barry

In Barry, Everton have themselves the perfect example of why it’s important to giving talented prospects time. Things can change quickly in football, and underperformers can step up and deliver when it matters most.

With this in mind, Everton and Moyes would be wise to keep the faith in Tyler Dibling, who has been underwhelming on Merseyside since joining the club from Southampton for £42.5m in 2025.

Last season was a tough one for the 20-year-old, who struggled to adapt to a new life on Merseyside and drifted throughout the campaign. He only started four times in the Premier League, failing to impress with the kind of springy ball-carrying that defined his time with Southampton and had previously seen youth coach Andy Goldie name him a “world-class talent“.

Dibling may well argue that his physicality and athleticism are better tailored to central attacking play, where he has found his most fruitful form thus far in his young career. Like Barry, though, his potential has always been clear, and a more focused role could see him follow the French forward’s revival.

Dibling is certainly more purposeful and confident for Everton this season. He has only started once in the Premier League, featuring four times in total, but there is a real hunger to impress that wasn’t there last year.

There’s a reason that so many suitors lined up to sign Southampton’s starboy during the 2024/25 season. There is also a reason that Southampton initially transfer-listed him at £100m, hoping to deter the chasing pack.

REUTERS/Peter Powell

Dibling has not performed to a portion of that exorbitant fee with Everton so far, but he has made a degree of progress in 2026/27, and more time and patience could see him embark on a Barry-esque resurgence for an Everton side who might just be preparing for a return to European competition.