Everton Keen On Tottenham Star In January: Should They Walk Away?

Everton Keen On Tottenham Star In January: Should They Walk Away? David Moyes has steered Everton to seventh in the Premier League after nine matches, with three wins, four draws and two defeats producing 13 points. The record is respectable, but it rests on a narrow base up front. Beto and Iliman Ndiaye both left in the summer, and Moyes now has very little depth in the centre-forward position. Thierno Barry, the 24-year-old summer signing in 2025, is the undisputed number nine and has scored seven goals in all competitions, three of them in the league. He has started aggressively, yet he carries a heavy workload because no senior option can rotate with him. Braiden Graham, an 18-year-old with little experience, is the only other natural centre-forward in the first-team squad. Brennan Johnson and Tyler Dibling can play across the front line, but Moyes mainly uses them as wingers. That imbalance makes a January striker non-negotiable. Moyes wants a physically strong, defensive-minded forward to lead his counter-attacking system, and Barry cannot cover every game without a break. A senior second option who presses hard and wins aerial duels would ease the load immediately, and nobody in the current group offers that profile. Graham is too raw to share that burden at this level. The Brazilian they want back CHELTENHAM, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 13: Richarlison of Tottenham Hotspur U21 applauds a team-mate during the Jersey Mike’s Trophy match between Cheltenham Town and Tottenham Hotspur U21 at The EV Charger Points Stadium on October 13, 2026 in Cheltenham, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) Sport Witness , citing ESPN Brazil journalist Bruno Andrade, reports that the Toffees still want Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison in the January window. They tried to bring their former player back in the summer and have not dropped the idea. Two obstacles stand in the way, though. The club will not match the salary Richarlison earns at Tottenham, and the Brazilian puts money first. He currently prefers a move to Turkey, where Galatasaray and Trabzonspor can offer more lucrative wages. Stylistically, he suits Moyes, offering elite defensive work-rate, pressing intensity and an aerial threat as a target man or from the left. Durability is the problem. His output is volatile, and his injury layoff has left Roberto De Zerbi freezing him out of Tottenham’s squad, with no domestic squad minutes this season. Should Everton pursue Richarlison in January? Everton should walk away unless Richarlison compromises heavily. A striker is essential, but this pursuit carries financial and logistical risk. He wants Turkish money the board cannot and should not match, and paying premium wages to a frozen-out player is plainly bad business. Nostalgia for a fan favourite should not drive recruitment. The club should redirect resources to high-upside alternatives who suit Moyes without damaging the wage structure.