‘Lukaku, Baines, Barkley’ - Beto explains past love for Everton after finalising signing

Beto is now officially an Everton player and he has gone on to reveal that he has been a big Everton fan over the years.

The towering six foot four forward officially completed his move from Udinese today arriving for an undisclosed fee but he has agreed a four-year-contract until the end of June 2027.

He netted 10 goals in Serie A last season and, at 25, he is ready to take the step up to the Premier League and shoulder the goalscoring responsibility after a difficult start to the season for Sean Dyche’s side.

If the fans aren’t on his side already, then perhaps his comments after signing will go some way to changing that.

He revealed that he was a big fan of the team managed by Roberto Martinez during the 2013/14 season, a campaign which saw the Toffees finish fifth and play some wonderful football along the way. His childhood hero was Samuel Eto’o and he became a fan of Everton after he joined the club in 2014.

Beto recalled those memories and spoke on how he was an Everton fan at that time when speaking to Everton official social media channels upon signing.

“So this video I can say I get this shirt, it was a present from my high school friends because they knew I was an Everton fan.

“A big Lukaku fan in those times, Everton had a really good team and I used to watch all the games; Lukaku, Mirallas, Barkley, Baines, Coleman - so they gave me this shirt as a present.”

That team from over 10 years ago is a far cry from the current set-up; winless and goalless in the first three games is certainly a nightmare start, but signings have been made and it’s just a case of Dyche putting together his new-look team that should offer more attacking intent.

Jack Harrison is still a few weeks away from making his debut, whilst Dwight McNeil is recovering well from an ankle issue, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin continues to recover from a fractured cheekbone.

While those players are targeting a return after the international break, Beto has a chance to make an instant impact against Sheffield United in the league at the weekend - the EFL Cup game against Doncaster will surely come too soon - and he’s ready to lead the line for Everton.