BLUES DO THEIR GOOD THIERN

Rough diamond - but Blues set for FUN with Barry

- By MICHAEL PLANT

EVERTON'S acquisition of Thierno Barry is one of the club's most exciting in recent years.

It's a move that's emblematic of the Blues' more bullish outlook in the market, underlining the optimism that the new owners and stadium have instilled.

Barry could prove to be a shrewd purchase.

The 22-year-old's career is undoubted on an upwards trajectory following an impressive season in La Liga, which convinced Everton to part with an initial £27m.

It's the club's most expensive transfer since Amadou Onana's arrival in 2022, and the highest fee David Moyes' has ever spent on a player during his two spells in charge of the club.

It's a particularly important move in the market given Dominic Calvert-Lewin's exit, although Moyes has called for fans to show Barry patience, to afford him time to settle and acclimatise.

Supporters are eager to see the France Under-21 international in a royal blue jersey and there's real belief that he could thrive at the Hill Dickson Stadium and that he could blossom into one of Europe's elite no.9s.

It's a feeling Patrick Dippel can relate with.

The 44-year-old handed Barry his first taste of topflight football two summers ago, when he decided to take a chance on an unpolished diamond playing in the French fifth tier.

"He's something special," Dippel, who spent two years as FC Basel's Head of Scouting, told the Liverpool ECHO in an exclusive interview.

"We watched him in the scouting videos and he was very raw. We saw some great things and some unorthodox things, but what you could see was his physical constitution.