Everton's Free Agent Options At Striker

After the whole Folarin Balogun transfer fiasco and letting Beto transfer to Fiorentina, Everton only has one striker on their squad and that is a massive problem. Thierno Barry can't be relied upon too much and with even bringing the promising Braiden Graham into the fold on the senior side is risky considering he is young and inexperienced. With the transfer window closed now, the club has to look at free agent options to help their depth and give David Moyes more options to work with. They have to be aggressive and make sure they land a player or else it could be a long few months before the January window opens.

Anthony Martial

This one seems like the most logical and best option for Everton as Martial was once a very productive player for Monaco and Manchester United. Martial is also still very young at 30 years old, so there is still a lot of time left in his legs plus he also has plenty of Premier League experience, which is very useful here. His time at Monaco, he scored 11 times in 49 appearances and for Manchester United, Martial scored 63 times in 209 matches. Now while Martial's last 64 appearances only netted him 12 goals, that span was over four seasons. Martial doesn't need to be the guy who scored 17 goals in 32 Premier League matches in 2019-20, but he should help provide depth and another option for Moyes. It just seems so logical here and even if he is not productive, that is not an issue especially considering the circumstances.

Jamie Vardy

Yes, this sounds crazy as especially his age would be a concern as Vardy is 39 years old, but right now, that isn't a problem considering the circumstances (that cannot be understated). Vardy was so good for Leicester City and was very committed to the Foxes during his time there that he is a legend in that city, but he has a chance to become a folk hero in Merseyside. Vardy would provide some depth and still has shown he can play at a high level as he played Serie A last season, which speaks volumes. Vardy's veteran leadership could also help Barry blossom a lot too. Signing Vardy might actually be a good option too.

Karim Benzema

Benzema is ironically still very productive at 38 years old, but as a free agent, it might be worth it for Everton to sign him. It is well known how prolific of a goal scorer Benzema is and if he comes in as a player to come off the bench for the Toffees, that could actually be beneficial in so many ways. In 26 recent matches for both Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, Benzema has scored 18 goals. Benzema is still productive despite his age. While he wouldn't start in the Premier League, his experience and productivity makes sense as a player off the bench. Heck, even as recent as 2022-23 with Real Madrid, Benzema scored 19 goals in 24 appearances and the campaign before where he scored 27 goals in 32 matches. Incredible numbers.

Mauro Icardi

Icardi is not exactly a bad option either as he played last in the Turkish League for Galatasaray, a pretty high profile program. in 134 matches, he scored 77 goals which isn't too shabby. Icardi could be a solid depth piece at striker, but he hasn't been training that much lately. However, Icardi's numbers are worth looking at.

Wilfried Zaha

Zaha isn't exactly the best option here to be used as a striker as it's not his most natural position, but he can play as a central forward which helps. Whether that helps the scheme is the bigger problem and Zaha might fit it. Zaha does have Premier League experience and if he is willing to play on the cheap, then it might be more worth signing him to as backup attacking midfielder or winger. Worth exploring Zaha as another attacking option, just not as a striker.

Andrea Belotti

Belotti is another intriguing option considering he is only 32 years old which suggests he has a few more years with productivity left in his legs. However, Belotti is more likely to be a player off the bench for the Toffees than anything else, which is fine. That being said, Belotti has been playing for multiple Italian sides since 2022 as well as Benfica in Portugal, plus he failed a medical in a move to Cagliari this window. Highly unlikely to be signed, but certainly an option.