After a summer of largely successful recruitment for Everton, a question mark still remains at centre-forward, which has been a problem position since the departure of Romelu Lukaku in 2017.
The Toffees have signed 17 strikers over the past 10 years at a combined cost of almost £160M… with decidedly mixed results.
Since Lukaku’s sale in the summer of 2017, the Blues have scored 357 Premier League goals – the fewest of any ever-present club.
Despite having signed 17 strikers in that time, Everton are yet to find a reliable long-term option – and selection problems persist to this day.
So far this season, Everton’s two strikers have scored one goal between them in 16 Premier League appearances.
Lukaku joined Everton in 2013, initially on loan from Chelsea, before the move was made permanent for a then club record £28M fee the following summer.
The Belgium international excelled on Merseyside, overtaking Duncan Ferguson as the club’s record Premier League scorer with 68 goals in 141 games at an average of one every 175 minutes. Lukaku set a benchmark that no Everton forward has come close to emulating since.
The nature of their signings – including 19-year-old Tyler Dibling and 22-year-old Barry – highlights the ongoing need to box clever in the transfer market, bringing in developing talent that could be later sold for a profit if required.
Top strikers cost money – nearly half of the £2.6bn spent this summer by Premier League clubs went on forwards – and Everton have been operating at the bottom of the food chain in recent windows.
If Everton are to target a first trophy since 1995, or first European qualification since 2017, they surely need to score more often – meaning they could bolster their attacking ranks in January.