Everton Sign Villarreal Striker Barry For £27m

Everton person completed nan signing of Thierno Barry from Villarreal for £27m.

The France Under-21 striker has signed a four-year statement pinch nan Toffees until nan extremity of June 2029.

Barry had a £34.5m merchandise clause successful his Villarreal contract, but Everton negotiated a little interest for nan 22-year-old, who scored 11 goals and provided 4 assists successful 38 games past play arsenic nan Spanish nine vanished 5th successful La Liga to suffice for nan Champions League.

He will adhd to Everton's attacking resources aft Dominic Calvert-Lewin near astatine nan extremity of his contract.

"I'm very happy," Barry told Evertontv. "It's very breathtaking to beryllium here.

"Everton is simply a large nine successful nan Premier League. They person a bully history and bully players person played here, for illustration Wayne Rooney and Romelu Lukaku.

"When I was young, I liked to watch these players, now I want to do for illustration these players who person gone before."

Forward Armando Broja besides exited erstwhile his indebtedness ended, returning to Chelsea without nan woody being made permanent.

Barry was calved successful Lyon and near French nine Sochaux aged 19 to play successful nan Belgian 2nd section pinch Beveren.

The pursuing season, he moved to Swiss Super League nine Basel, earlier joining Villarreal successful August 2024 successful a woody worthy astir £13m.

A Premier League move astatine nan property of 22 will cement Barry's accelerated emergence successful European shot successful caller seasons.

Only 3 years ago, he completed his first play of elder shot successful France's 5th tier earlier moving to Belgian second-tier broadside Beveren successful July 2022.

Twenty goals successful 28 starts were capable to gain a move to Basel a twelvemonth later and he subsequently vanished his first run of top-flight shot arsenic their apical scorer pinch 12 goals.

A flurry of 8 goals successful nan first 4 matches of 2024-25 convinced Villareal to salary 15m euros (£13m) for his services successful August.

The 6ft 5in striker was an instant success, scoring 11 goals to thief nan Yellow Submarine decorativeness 5th pinch their highest points tally successful 17 years and suffice for nan Champions League.

Barry was successful an elite group of players aged nether 23 to people 10 aliases much goals successful Europe's apical 5 leagues past season, sitting alongside nan likes of Leipzig's in-demand Benjamin Sesko, PSG's Bradley Barcola and Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike.

Barry's tallness makes him a immense threat successful nan aerial and he classed 2nd of each forwards successful Europe's awesome leagues (and apical of anyone successful La Liga) for aerial duel occurrence successful 2024-25, winning 66.7% of his 153 challenges (minimum 100 aerial duels).

It is simply a facet of Barry's crippled that has undoubtedly attracted Moyes, whose sides typically get tons of crosses into nan box.

The Toffees classed seventh for open-play crosses successful this season's Premier League, though they struggled to person crosses into goals, scoring conscionable 3 times from specified situations – nan fewest of immoderate nine different than Chelsea (2).