Beto has been the unlikely driving force behind Everton’s recent surge up the Premier League table.
It took Beto 42 games to reach four goals for Everton under Sean Dyche. By contrast, the Bissau-Guinean has scored the same number in just five appearances with David Moyes at the helm. The Toffees are on the rise and Beto epitomises this better than anyone else. He has been transformed by the managerial change.
Written off as a flop since joining from Udinese in 2023, Beto is demonstrating the sort of form that attracted Everton to him in the first place. They paid €30m to sign him in the belief he would give them an attacking focal point. It might have taken longer than expected, but Beto is now that figure.
Beto is used to proving his doubters wrong. He was released by Benfica as a teenager. He worked in a KFC while playing part-time football in the Portuguese lower leagues. From there, he moved up the pyramid in Portugal with Portimonense before joining Udinese. It was in Serie A where he truly showcased his potential, though.
At Udinese, Beto scored 21 goals over two seasons. This was from an Expended Goals (xG) of 23.1, proving that his form was no flash in the pan. He was taking up good positions as the head of the Udinese attack and receiving his rewards. He developed quickly and added different elements to his game.
Most notably, Beto became more of a penalty box operator in Serie A. He learned the value of stillness and when to use his physical attributes to get in behind opposition defences. This was reflected in the number of goals he scored within the 18-yard box as an Udinese player. Indeed, all of his 21 league goals were finished inside the area.
This is the player Everton wanted when they beat the likes of Inter and Juventus to the punch of signing Beto. They required a physical, but mobile centre forward to provide a different dimension to the increasingly injury-prone Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Dyche, however, wasn’t a manager whose approach harnessed such a striker.
Despite standing at 6ft 4”, Beto isn’t the sort of centre forward who wants to fight for the ball in the air. This, however, is what ‘Dyche-ball’ demanded of him. 35% of Everton’s total xG over the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons with Dyche in charge came from set piece situations. Beto was expected to win aerial duels when that has never been his game.
Moyes has utilised him in a different way. He wants to get Beto turned and running at goal. Look at the two goals he scored in the recent 4-0 win over Leicester City as well as his opener in the thrilling 2-2 draw against Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby. Everton are playing into space for Beto to attack.
It’s not just Beto giving Everton a different look in the attacking third under Moyes. Jack Harrison has found form on the left wing. Then there’s Carlos Alcaraz who joined the Goodison Park outfit on loan from Flamengo late in the January transfer window. The Argentine livewire has electrified Everton’s in-possession game.
Defensively, Dyche also left a solid foundation for Moyes to build on. The new Everton manager has publicly acknowledged this, highlighting that the era of ‘Dyche-ball’ at Goodison Park wasn’t for nothing. For a long time, it was a necessity to keep Everton in the Premier League. Realistically, there wasn’t any other way.
Now, though, Everton are entering a new era. The first test event at the new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium was held this week, offering a tantalising glimpse of what next season will look like for the Toffees. PSR concerns remain and Everton are still a long way from where they ultimately want to be, but fans can now look forward instead of over their shoulder.
Beto’s remarkable, and unexpected, form is reflective of how Moyes has unlocked much more from the group of players he inherited. The 61-year-old isn’t exactly the most modern of football thinkers, but Everton have undeniably become a more proactive, dynamic team since his return to Goodison Park. Beto has helped facilitate this shift.
Saturday’s home match against Manchester United presents Beto with another opportunity to prove his value to this Everton team. At a time when United are desperately struggling for an attacking focal point with an eye for goal, the Toffees are increasingly realising they have one of their own. This quality was always in Beto, it just took the right manager to bring it out of him.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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