Everton 2025-26 Season Review: Centre Forwards Report Card

With the 2025-26 campaign done and dusted, we are into our season review series with a look at the strikers and how they did this season.

With names such as Dixie Dean, Tommy Lawton, Dave Hickson, Alex Young, Joe Royle and Graeme Sharp all achieving legendary status while wearing that number on the back of their Royal Blue jersey, whoever wears that shirt has enormous shoes to fill.

Since the Premier League era the concept of players wearing one to eleven as they take to the field has become more and more obsolete in terms of numbers reflecting positions, but that number still holds massive importance to Evertonians, many of whom feel they have been starved of a goalscoring machine since the days of Romelu Lukaku , although the Belgian never actually wore the No.9 during his tenure on Merseyside.

Goalscoring responsibilities this season fell on the dependable Beto and new signing Thierno Barry , with David Moyes often alternating between the two for that solitary starting role.

And with 47 goals plundered in 38 games, how did our forwards fare during the 2025/26 season.

If application and attitude were measures of ability then the Guinea-Bissau international would be one of the most sought after strikers in football. The 28-year-old is a hugely popular figure on Merseyside, and loves playing for Everton, often stating his honour at performing in front of the fans.

However nine goals this season (eight in the league) for the Toffees is form that will never guarantee the status of of main man up front for a team that should be pushing for Europe and, for a long time this season, had qualification in it sights.

The physical Beto will always ask questions of defenders, but is a forward who is a slow starter. After scoring in consecutive games against Mansfield Town and Wolves in August, the Portugal-born star didn’t find the net again until January with a goal that was little more than consolation against Brentford .