It will be a struggle to find striker upgrades - Cottee

EVERTON are going to struggle to find a striker upgrade in the January transfer window and the rest of the squad need to start helping out their goal-shy frontmen. That's the verdict of the club's former forward Tony Cottee.

- By CHRIS BEESLEY

While Cottee took just 34 seconds to break his duck for Everton, going on to net the first of six hat-tricks for the club in a 4-0 win on his debut against Newcastle United after a £2.2m switch from West Ham United in 1988, Thierno Barry, a £27m summer signing from Villarreal, still hasn't registered after 10 appearances while Beto has just two goals to his name this term, one of which was in the Premier League and came back on August 30 in the 3-2 victory at Wolves.

And Cottee told the ECHO: "You've got to get into the positions, but I feel for the lads. I remember last season that Beto went through a period where he was scoring goals and doing well for David Moyes, who seemed to be getting more out of him than the previous manager had done.

"When you go through these spells where it's not happening and the goals aren't coming, it's hard. I had it in my career, including a couple of horrific ones for Everton where I'd go about 10 games without a goal, which for me was an absolute disaster because I prided myself on scoring a goal pretty much every two or three games.

"You've got to make sure you're in the right area when the ball comes in. I remember one flashing across the face of goal for Beto in the first half.