Everton Banter

05 Apr 2026 11:00:16
Looking ahead to next season, I think there are a few strikers we should seriously be looking at — both for an immediate starting role and for the future.
For me, the four who could come straight in and improve us are:

• Jhon Durán – Feels tailor-made for us. Physical, aggressive, presses well and can run the channels. We've been linked with him before too, so there might already be something there.

• Artem Dovbyk – Proper focal point striker. Strong in the air and a real presence in the box. Would suit the way we play, especially with crosses and set pieces.

• Joshua Zirkzee – A slightly different option. More technical, drops deep and links play really well. There were links in the past, and he'd give us something we don't currently have.

• Ivan Toney – If it's possible financially, he's probably the best fit overall. Proven in the league, elite hold-up play and brings others into the game. We were linked with him previously, although wages and fee would be the big hurdle.

Then looking a bit more long-term, two players who could be smart investments:

• Ricardo Pepi – Still developing but has a great work rate and eye for goal. Could grow into a really solid Premier League striker.

• Franculino Dju – More of a raw talent, but already scoring goals and has been mentioned in connection with us recently as one for the future.

Feels like we need to get this next striker signing right — someone who can lead the line properly but also fit the system. Personally, I'd lean towards Durán or Toney for immediate impact, but I wouldn't mind us bringing in one of the younger options alongside them.
What do you reckon?

05 Apr 2026 13:25:05
Not going to lie, Optimum, I would take any of these over who we have, but not sure any are perfect, in my opinion.

Duran is exciting, but seems to have major attitude problems - and I'm not sure his playstyle suits us. The reason he barely started at Villa is that he is so selfish it's crazy. If he got the ball within 40 yards, it did not matter who was around him, he was shooting and blazing it over the bar most of the time. I know that doesn't sound the worst, but it is incredibly frustrating, especially when there are players around who thrive off linkup play.

Dovbyk, I have only seen a couple of times, but I know he is polarising with his own fanbase. Seems a little stiff, but could be completely wrong.

Zirkzee is the opposite, basically a False 9, but I don't think he is technical enough to do it in the Prem, and I don't think Moyes is savvy enough to get the most out of him. He's also slow and lazy.

Toney, I think, is the best, but he'd cripple the wage bill, and is another who is great in the right system, but lethargic and a passenger in the wrong one - and I don't think our system is right for him.

Plus, he's 30.

Pepi and Dju, I've not seen much of but I know Pepi is highly thought of and a few people have been very keen on Dju here, so worth considering!

I don't want to seem dismissive or negative, I just think all of those options aren't quite perfect, and I think Moyes himself doesn't really know what kind of striker he's looking for. I suspect he'll go for someone who ticks his usual style (big and strong) , but we don't really have any distinctive playstyle which makes it clear what profile of striker we need.

It's all well and good knowing we just need something 'better' than B&B, but a target man is useless until we get fullbacks who can cross, a speedy poacher is useless until we commit to playing balls in behind etc. etc.

05 Apr 2026 14:34:24
Toney won't come; said he'd been racially abused by our fans.

Zirkzee, I'm not convinced by. Some European team will offer him a chance where the demands of the league are less than the Prem.

Pepsi and Dju have been mentioned before and I think BN rates them.

I'd like us to have a look at Thiago at Brentford. Could be our next Richarlison..

05 Apr 2026 14:59:13
I get where you're both coming from - none of these lads are flawless, and realistically we're shopping in a market where every option has a "but" attached.

On Duran, the attitude stuff is definitely a concern, but I do wonder how much of that was him being a young striker who was desperate to impress in limited minutes. Villa fans seem split on him, but the raw tools are there. If Moyes wants someone who can bully defenders and run the channels, he's probably the closest profile to that.

Dovbyk is similar - I've seen the "stiff" comments too, but he's also scoring consistently and offers that proper penalty-box presence we've lacked. Whether he adapts to the Prem is the big unknown.

Zirkzee is the biggest gamble. But I agree he's more of a system player. If we don't build around his strengths, he'd look anonymous. And I'm not convinced we'd give him the freedom he needs.

Toney is the safest bet in terms of proven quality, but yeah - wages, fee, and whether he'd even want the move are all massive hurdles.

If the racial abuse story is true, that probably kills it anyway.

Thiago is an interesting shout. He's got that Richarlison blend of chaos, work rate and unpredictability. Brentford's recruitment is usually spot on, so anyone they've backed is worth a look.

For me, the bigger issue is exactly what you said: we don't seem to have a clear idea of what our striker should be. Until the system is nailed down - whether we want a target man, a runner, a link-up forward, whatever - every option will feel like a compromise.

That's why I leaned toward Duran or Toney: they're the closest to being plug-and-play in a dysfunctional attack. But I'd still like us to pair whoever we sign with a younger project like Pepi or Dju so we're not in this same cycle again in 18 months.

05 Apr 2026 15:24:34
Fair points on all the options there Alex.

Duran and Toney don't appear to be the right fit in terms of personalities for me. Wages would also be a problem as Alex rightly said. BR's point on the abuse is also a factor.

I don't rate Dovbyk. We were interested in him when he was at Dnipro and available for around 10m. Now wouldn't be the right time to buy him. He is 4 years older and has not pulled up any trees in Serie A to suggest he would be a regular scorer in the PL - for ref, Beto had better numbers during his time in Italy.

Zirkzee is not a striker. I do actually think he is a talented player and enjoyed watching him play under Motta during his stint at Bologna. He linked the play really well but he is not what we need right now.

Pepi - Decent numbers in Eredivisie but it is a very poor league. I have watched him on a number of occasions since the links started over 12 months back.

When watching a forward, I can't help but analyse each goal and then make a judgement if the goal would be scored in the PL - he would have a fair few chalked off to say the least.

The level of GK's in the PL is a different kettle of fish to the Eredivisie, as are the defenders. He wouldn't come cheap either. I think they would want more than what we paid for Barry.

Dju - Really like the look of this lad and have watched him for a while. Has brilliant attributes - he can score goals, assist, link up play, strong etc. I think his best trait is his decision making and calmness, which is not common amongst forward players.

Would have been a great signing when he was around 15m. Buying from the lower leagues is always a risk but at that price, I think it would be a calculated purchase. By all accounts Midtjylland want upwards of 25/30m now - that makes it much more of a risk. Add to that he suffered a serious injury to his knee in December - coincidentally, he came back for a 19 min cameo yesterday.

Out of the list I think I would go for Dju. To me he looks like he has the most upside and he is comfortable playing on the flanks and through the middle. Whilst he has plied his trade in a weaker league, he has got decent scoring numbers in the European competitions, both CL and Europa.

It is clear that we need to go after 2 strikers. I would like us to aim big and go after some bigger targets and then, if we have to move down the list, so be it.

Obviously those targets will be highly dependant on whether we qualify for Europe or not.

Big & Unlikely Moves

Samu Aghehowa
Fisnik Asllani
Jonathan Burkardt
Francesco Pio Esposito
Jonathan David
Ange-Yoan Bonny
Folarin Balogun

Affordable & Realistic Moves

Nikola Krstović
Romulo Cardoso
Tim Lemperle
Georges Mikautadze
Mateo Pellegrino
Nikola Krstović
Joaquin Panichelli
Breel Embolo
Sebastiano Esposito

05 Apr 2026 15:36:12
The way we play, we need someone who can bully the 2 centerbacks marking him, have a decent touch, control the ball with his head and chest to bring other players into the game, have a great work rate, and can also put it in the net. Am I asking for too much?. 😉

04 Apr 2026 21:25:02
Do you think if we give Dibling back to Southampton, they will let us have Scienza?

04 Apr 2026 22:31:19
They'd probably want about 50 million.

05 Apr 2026 10:45:02
So, if we do a swap deal that's 45m, we would have to find?

03 Apr 2026 08:18:07
Grealish for £20 million anyone? Suppose a deal will depend on wether Pep leaves in the summer and the new manager wants him to stay. But it's a yes from me 👍👍👍👍👍👍.

{Ed025's Note - me too Ron..

03 Apr 2026 09:39:32
20 mill, where did that number come from? In fact, do we have a first offer? Then there is the wages issue (how much he loves us) .

03 Apr 2026 12:50:37
Was reading, we are looking to loan him for the season if we can't buy him.

04 Apr 2026 09:42:05
I read that we were trying to get £30 million off the agreed price. And, yeah, he would definitely have to take a pay cut.

04 Apr 2026 19:56:02
I also heard that it was another loan year, then he's on a free.

01 Apr 2026 16:25:51
Wow Chelsea made a pre tax loss of £262 million for the 2024-25 season. How on earth is that compliant with PSR?

01 Apr 2026 17:26:05
Give them a fifty quid suspended fine and move on.

01 Apr 2026 17:40:27
Nice one mate.

01 Apr 2026 18:14:59
Have they got 3 years to make that back? I don't really understand the FFP rules. Only that if your certain clubs you can spend whatever you want.

01 Apr 2026 23:53:52
£10.5 mill of that was the fine. They also had more than £400 mill revenue.

01 Apr 2026 06:12:27
With the fixture list coming up, if Everton get at Liverpool. Put a shift in be aggressive cover grass and be pragmatic in the press by getting at Liverpool. They will be there for the taking. This Liverpool side is lightweight, short on numbers. A certainly not the Liverpool side of last year. First derby at the hill Dicko be blue.

Brentford a big game.

They like to play an keep the ball. I'm expecting us to revert to the Moyes away special. Soak up a lot of pressure, defend well, play for set pieces or a counter attack. Can see a 0-0 or a score draw myself which id take. Brentford have proved it’s a tough place to go.

Everton pick up 4 points in the next 2 games. We have a propa chance at top 6.

Everton the gear.

01 Apr 2026 12:18:18
Pick up 4 points from the next two and we have a chance of 5th place, Jim. In our hands as they say.

01 Apr 2026 13:56:11
Well chuffed, if we get 4 points, 6 would be better though, mate.