Everton are signing the WRONG €20m striker – here’s who David Moyes needs

Everton’s woes up front this season have been well publicised, and the Toffees are ready to solve the issue by signing Youssef En-Nesyri from Fenerbahce.

Fabrizio Romano reports that an official bid has been lodged for the Morocco centre-forward, with the Merseyside club attempting to sign En-Nesyri on loan with a €20 million option to buy.

Why Everton need Troy Parrott

Everton’s need for a striker is clear. Between them, summer signing Tierno Barry and Beto have bagged only five goals in close to 2000 minutes of Premier League action.

Moyes’ side are now ready to take action, but if they are shopping in the €20m market, they would be well advised to take a look at red-hot Ireland striker Troy Parrott, who has been finding the net with regularity for AZ in the Netherlands.

Fresh from bagging himself national hero status with five goals in two matches against Portugal and Hungary for the Boys in Green, the 23-year-old’s role has continued in the domestic game. He took his tally to 19 for the season in all competitions on Wednesday with a hat-trick against Ajax in a stunning 6-0 KNVB Beker win, outshining the Premier League-linked Kees Smit in the process. As if for good measure, he chipped in with a late assist.

A strong fit

The similarities between Parrott and En-Nesyri are strong in terms of their playing style, yet it’s very clear that the Irishman is a better fit for Everton and Moyes, according to SciSports’ Career Advice analysis. This algorithm gives each team a Club Fit score based on a variety of factors from development and game time to playing style and formation, with the higher the score, the better the fit.

Both En-Nesyri and Parrott primarily act as poachers with strong characteristics of mobile strikers, as the graphic displays.

Everton get a very healthy 82 Club Fit for Parrott, with the only factor working against them being concerns over the former Tottenham youth’s long-term development. According to SciSports, the Toffees are the optimal club for the Irishman, with strong scores coming for style, formation and playing time.

While they also score a very commendable 77 for En-Nesyri, the North African forward is currently at a club that fits him almost perfectly. Fenerbahce are given a mammoth score of 90.

En-Nesyri may have scored 27 goals across the last 18 months in the Super Lig, but SciSports suggests that he would be unlikely to perform as well after moving to Everton.

In terms of his statistical profile, meanwhile, he does not rank as highly as Parrott in a wide variety of important metrics, such as goals, xG and even box receptions. Although he is slightly ahead of the Irishman in terms of his offensive headers, this is only a marginal edge.

Troy Parrott to Everton: Is it possible?

Parrott certainly falls into the right price point for Everton. With an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €18.4 million, he would likely cost around the same as En-Nesyri. So that’s one thing going in his favour.

The Dubliner has also been surrounded by transfer rumours in recent months, with West Ham, Leeds, Brentford and Aston Villa among the clubs hunting the No.9.

The Irish Independent reports, however, that it will take “something exceptional” to tempt him into an immediate move.

Parrott is still hopeful that Ireland will qualify for the 2026 World Cup, and if they make it, he wants to be in prime form for the competition, meaning a deal in the summer appears a stronger possibility.

While En-Nesyri appears a more attainable target for the Toffees to move for immediately, they would still do well to sound out Parrott, who appears a strong fit for what Moyes has built.