Potential Everton January transfer targets examined after David Moyes makes striker admission

With David Moyes admitting that he wants more from his strikers, we look at four players who are leading their domestic scoring charts across Europe

Everton have been linked with a move for more firepower in the January transfer window, but who could fit the bill? Almost a quarter of the way into the current Premier League season, Blues strikers Beto and Thierno Barry have just one goal between them in the competition, the former’s header in the 3-2 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers back on August 30.

When it was suggested to him in Friday’s pre-match press conference to preview Monday night’s trip to Sunderland that Iliman Ndiaye, last season’s top scorer who also leads the way this term and who has mostly been deployed as a winger, could fit the bill, David Moyes replied: “I will look to see if there are other options and if I think I’m not getting what I want, I’ll look to see what else there is.”

This could either be an in-house solution or another foray into the transfer market. Everton have been linked with a potential high-profile New Year raids for England international and former Brentford striker Ivan Toney, now of Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli, plus Chelsea’s Senegal international Nicolas Jackson, currently on loan at Bayern Munich, but deals for either would need to overcome a series of substantial obstacles.

OPINION

Ex-Everton ace Tony Cottee issued a warning this week when he told the ECHO: “You can’t just dip into the transfer market in the January window and take your pick of 30-goal-a-season strikers who are available because they don’t exist.”

The Blues splashed out £27million on Barry in July after the France Under-21 hit 19 goals last season, eight for Swiss club Basel and 11 for Spanish side Villarreal. Despite this, it appears to be very much a work in progress and far from the finished article at this stage.

Strikers with proven Premier League pedigree come with an expensive premium, as displayed by Liverpool paying Newcastle United £125million for Alexander Isak this summer, plus Manchester United splurging £62.5million on Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha and £65million on Bryan Mbeumo of Brentford. Here’s a look at a quartet of strikers who are currently leading the scoring charts in lesser leagues across Europe that might be worth taking a look at and what they might offer.

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Franculino Dju, Midtjylland

Dju leads the way in the Danish Superliga with 12 goals from as many matches so far this season. Perhaps if one Guinea-Bissau international (Beto) isn’t cutting it for Everton, then they could turn to another one, but unlike the Lisbon-born frontman, he hails from the West African nation itself.

A report from Africa Foot in September has already claimed that the Blues are tracking the 21-year-old who spent four years in the Benfica youth system between 2019-23 before switching to Scandinavia. In terms of playing style, the similarity comparison tool at Comparisonator, who give the player a transfer value of €13million (£11.45m) calculates Dju as having a 96% match to former Manchester United frontman Memphis Depay, who now plays for Brazilian side Corinthians. For current Premier League stars, Bournemouth’s Evanilson is deemed to be the closest match at 74%, followed by Fulham’s Raul Jimenez at 60%.

He scores 9.6 out of 10 for being a ‘box striker,’ which Comparisonator defines as a forward primarily focused on finishing inside the box, defined by high shot volume, strong positioning and elite goal conversion. Dju, who has netted 49 times in 96 games in Danish football in total, scores 8 /10 as a pressing forward; 7.2 as a false nine; 7 as a target man and 6.6 as a mobile striker.

Joaquin Panichelli, Strasbourg

During his first spell as Everton manager, Moyes was repeatedly linked with a move for Argentinian superstar Juan Roman Riquelme but ended up signing his rather more limited compatriot Denis Stracqualursi on loan. Like ‘Stracq,’ Panichelli is a 6ft 3in centre-forward, but he’s already proven himself to be prolific in European football.

It hasn’t been an easy route for the former River Plate youth player, though. The man from Cordoba failed to find the net in a dozen outings for Alaves before enjoying a breakthrough season in 2024/25 on loan at Spanish Segunda Division side Mirandes, scoring 20 times in 40 matches.

That form earned him a move to Strasbourg, the club from whom Everton bought Olivier Dacourt in 1998 and the city that produced Arsene Wenger. With nine goals in 10 Ligue 1 games so far, it’s been a dream start for the 23-year-old in France.

Comparisonator give Panichelli a transfer value of €12m (£10.57m) and while there are no current Premier League players with a similar playing style, he is a 95% match to Derby County’s former Luton Town man Callum Morris and 94% with Aston Villa, Liverpool and Crystal Palace old boy Christian Benteke, now of DC United. He is scored 9.4 as a box striker, 8.7 for pressing forward; 8.2 for target man, 6.9 for false nine and 6.6 for mobile striker.

Ayase Ueda, Feyenoord

Now 27, the Feyenoord striker could be considered to be at the peak of his powers and having registered 10 times in just nine outings so far this season, he tops the charts in the Eredivisie with a better ratio than a goal a game. Everton’s new ‘transfer guru’ Nick Hammond, who followed chief executive Angus Kinnear from Elland Road, has enjoyed success with Japanese players in the past, having brought Kyogo Furuhashi from Vissel Kobe to Celtic for £4.5m and Ao Tanaka from Fortuna Dusseldorf to Leeds United for £2.95m, while the Blues’ women’s team now boasts four squad members from the land of the rising sun.

Ueda kicked off his career with Kashima Antlers in his homeland before catching Feyenoord’s eye by bagging 23 goals in 42 games for Belgian side Cercle Brugge in 2022/23 and he’s struck 16 times in 34 matches for his country. Comparisonator give him a transfer value of €10m (£8.81m) and curiously the player most similar to him in style in English football is calculated as being Preston North End’s Will Keane – twin brother of Everton centre-back Michael Keane – and he scores 9.3 as a box striker, 7.6 as a target man, 7.1 as a mobile striker, 5.7 as a false nine and 3.7 as a pressing forward.

Vangelis Pavlidis, Benfica

With neighbours Sporting CP having sold the prolific Swede Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal for £55million plus add-ons this summer, Pavlidis is now dominating the scoring charts in Portugal. The 26-year-old netted 30 goals in all competitions in his first Benfica season last term, after spells with Dutch pair Willem II (82 games, 33 goals) and AZ (137 games, 80 goals), and he’s plundered eight in nine Portuguese Primeira Liga matches in the current campaign.

Like Panichelli with fellow Argentine Stracqualursi, Pavlidis seems to offer considerably more than the Greek striker Apostolos Vellios, who Moyes had at Everton the first time around, and he’s been capped 52 times by his country, netting 10 international goals. Comparisonator rate him as the most expensive player on the list with a transfer value of €35m (£30.84m) and like Dju, Bournemouth’s Evanilson is deemed to be the current Premier League player closest in style to him with a match of 64%, although he is deemed a 97% match with Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani, formerly of Manchester United.

Pavlidis, who relies less on his pace than the other three on the list, scores 8.5 as a box striker, 7.1 as a false nine; 6.8 as a mobile striker, 6.8 as a target man and 3.6 as a pressing forward.

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