In the ever-competitive landscape of the English Premier League, Everton have made a bold move to bolster their attacking line by securing the services of 22-year-old French forward Thierno Barry from Villarreal CF for an initial fee reported at £27.6m.
Standing at an imposing 6’4″ (1.95m) with a remarkable 67% aerial duel success rate, Barry brings a blend of physical dominance, quick-footed creativity, and clinical finishing that could redefine the Toffees frontline, especially as they bid farewell to Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
But can this versatile striker, who thrives on drifting wide, dismantling defences 1v1, and converting high-quality chances, seamlessly integrate into David Moyes tactical setup for the 2025/2026 Premier League season?
In this in-depth player analysis and scouting report, we analyse Barry’s strengths, identify areas for improvement, and examine his potential impact at Everton, as the team moves from Goodison Park to the new Hill Dickinson Stadium on the banks of the River Mersey.
Who Is Thierno Barry?
Thierno Barry stands at 6’4″ (1.95m), and he uses this height to his full advantage.
Barry is absolutely dominant in the air.
In the 2024/2025 La Liga season, he averaged 3.84 aerials won per 90.
Over the season, he had a 67.3% aerial win rate, which put him in the 92nd percentile for aerial duel success among centre-forwards from Tier 1 and 2 leagues in our league ranking system.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) July 15, 2025
Villarreal utilised this ability heavily, and he was often profiled as a target forward, frequently playing up front alone.
Manager Marcelino asked him to occupy and bother the opposing centre-halves, providing an outlet for his side to play into, and he succeeded very much in doing so.
Barry also worked well as a solo striker due to his brilliant off-the-ball movement.
He is an enthusiastic runner without the ball, constantly making movements to hassle the opposition backline.
Thierno Barry Goalscoring
Thierno Barry should bring goals to the Toffees‘ front line.
In 37 games this year, Barry scored 11 times.
Prior to this, he scored 20 times in 40 games at FC Basel and 20 in 33 at SK Beveren.
He is not an exceptionally clinical finisher and actually underperforms his expected goals (xG).
For example, last year he managed 11 goals from 12.5 xG.
However, he is more than capable of goalscoring and still manages good tallies despite his sometimes inaccurate finishes.
Rather than being overly clinical, his main strength in front of goal lies in his ability to forge his own chances and execute quickly when they appear.
In fact, every single one of his 11 goals this season was scored with first-time finishes.
Finishing first time is the sign of a true striker, and this trait could hold up well in a fast-paced league.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) July 15, 2025
It remains to be seen whether this scoring knack will continue in the Premier League, where ‘keepers and defences will undoubtedly be stronger.
He may have to improve his finesse in front of goal, as Everton do not create as many expected goals as his former club.
Converting the few chances he does get may be essential to his success.
Thierno Barry Ball Carrying & Link-Up Play
One potentially underrated aspect of Thierno Barry’s game is his ball carrying.
For a 6’5 forward, he excels when space appears in front of him, and glides with the ball with speed.
This element of his game enables him to play off the left-hand side, as his dribbling helps move play through the thirds.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) July 15, 2025
Last year, Barry averaged 1.7 progressive carries per 90, which put him in the 73rd percentile, and 1.36 carries into the final third.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) July 15, 2025
Thierno Barry Work Ethic
Thierno Barry is a very hard worker and will fit in well with Moyes’ ethos for the team.
He presses aggressively from the front and enjoys hassling the defender, forcing them into rushed decisions.
Thierno Barry First Touch
The first concern that appears when watching Barry is his ball control.
His initial touch can sometimes be sloppy, and these miscues often lead to reckless turnovers.
Last year, Barry averaged 3.2 mis-controls per game, which places him in the 23rd percentile of forwards.
The Premier League is intense and fast-paced, and a bad first touch will not be forgiven in any fixture.
Thierno Barry Passing
Another weakness in Barry’s game is his passing, particularly his accuracy of ‘easy’ balls.
His 62% pass completion in La Liga ranked him in the 14th percentile of all forwards and could prove an issue once he arrives in the Premier League.
Thierno Barry Weaknesses
There are two aspects I feel are important to recognise when considering any weaknesses in Thierno Barry’s game.
Firstly, Barry has risen through the leagues very quickly.
Last season was his first at La Liga level, and thus far, every season in his career has been one of adapting to a higher level.
This undoubtedly provides challenges, and once he settles long-term at one club, he will likely grow in confidence and belief.
Secondly, the system at Villarreal did not necessarily play to all of his strengths.
Barry is much more than a target, hold-up striker.
He has shown his skills in possession with his link-up and movement, yet at Villarreal, he was not given the ball enough to develop this fully.
Under Marcelino, Barry averaged just 27.2 touches per 90, one of the lowest averages in the league.
He also averages just 13.06 passes per 90, and a large amount of his touches were in the final third and opposition penalty area where space in tight and compact.
Thierno Barry Under David Moyes 2025/2026
One of the strikers that have worked best under David Moyes throughout his career was Michail Antonio at West Ham United.
Antonio enjoyed his best period of his career under the manager’s tenure, scoring 42 times.
Whilst they are visibly different profiles, they do share similar traits, and Moyes’ use of the forward could hint at how Everton may use Barry.
Firstly, Moyes used Antonio’s physicality for much more than just being a target forward.
He recognised he could use his power to run at the opposition, and allowed him both to do this by dropping deep into wide areas.
One example of this is below.
— Footie Clips (@FootieClips) July 15, 2025
We believe Moyes will utilise Barry in a similar manner and allow him to showcase his ball-carrying abilities more than he has previously.
Secondly, Moyes also used Antonio for his physical traits in the penalty area, and he continues to use his forward’s physicality in the box at Everton.
Last season, Everton were third in the league for crosses completed, with 115.
Barry is a strong header of the ball, and scored three just last season.
Should Everton provide him the right crosses, there is definitely potential for that number to grow this year.
Moyes typically deploys a 4-2-3-1 system.
We would expect Barry to lead this, with Iliman Ndiaye, Carlos Alcaraz, and Dwight McNeil behind him.
In play, we could likely see Barry sometimes drift wide.
Ndiaye, in particular, loves to cut inside onto his strong right foot.
Barry’s runs down the channels would open up space centrally to allow this, which could make for a great connection between that pairing and potentially bring out the best of both players.
Conclusion
Barry will arrive at the Hill-Dickinson Stadium raw, but with lots of promise and potential.
He is strong and athletic, hardworking, and has an eye for a goal—all traits that will make the former Goodison Park crowd fall in love with him.
At the same time, he can be sloppy and careless and will likely frustrate the fanbase as much as he gets them off their seats.
David Moyes will be tasked with moulding him into a superstar, and his track record suggests he has a great chance of succeeding.
If Barry takes the experienced manager’s advice and applies himself correctly, he need only look to Romelu Lukaku before him to see where it may take him.
