Everton have completed the signing of Thierno Barry from Spanish side Villarreal for an undisclosed fee.
The France Under-21 international striker has signed a four-year contract with the Blues, keeping him at the Club until the end of June 2029.
A powerful 6ft 5in forward, Barry joined Villarreal last summer from Swiss side FC Basel. The Frenchman quickly adapted to LaLiga, scoring 11 goals – including a hat-trick at Leganes in December – to help the Yellow Submarine to a fifth-placed finish and qualification for the Champions League.
Barry – as he prefers to be called – followed that impressive campaign by helping France Under-21s reach the semi-finals of the European Championships this summer, including netting a crucial stoppage-time winner against Georgia in the group stages.
“I’m very happy,” Barry told evertontv. “It’s very exciting to be here. I just can’t wait to start and I hope to start very quickly.
“Everton is a big club in the Premier League. They have a good history and good players have played here, like Wayne Rooney and Romelu Lukaku. When I was young I liked to watch these players, now I want to do like these players who have gone before.
“I had good conversations with the manager. He told me I have the quality to play in the Premier League. He wants to do good work with me. He wants to help me on my road and I felt the sincerity with him so that’s why I chose to come here as well.
“For me, it is a dream to play in the Premier League. I think I proved in my career so far that I can adapt. For example, last season I went to LaLiga, which is a top league, and I think I had a good season for my first season. I’m not scared to play here and do the same.”
Born in Lyon of Guinean descent, Barry played for SC Toulon and FC Sochaux-Montbéliard youth teams before moving to Belgium club Beveren in 2022. Finishing his maiden campaign with 20 goals in Belgium’s second tier, a move to Swiss Super League side FC Basel in July 2023.
Another 12 goals followed during 2023/24, paving the way to his switch to Villarreal the following summer. He has now set his sights on making his mark for the Toffees, in front of what he knows to be a large and passionate fanbase at the Club’s new world-class Hill Dickinson Stadium.
“I think the fans here are, like, crazy people… I like this!” he said. “I like to score for these people. I just want to play here, score and enjoy it with the fans.
“On the pitch I always give 100 per cent, I always want to score, I always want to help the team to win. This is my character. For me, this is my meal, my food. When I score, I’m very happy. I will always give 100 per cent on the pitch and try to score goals.
“The stadium is very big, it’s an amazing stadium, and I’m looking forward to seeing the fans in here.
“When the manager came last season, I think he changed a little bit the team and I feel this and the new stadium, I think the Club comes with a new ambition, so I want to play my part in that.”
Speaking on his second signing of the summer transfer window – following the arrival of Charly Alcaraz from Flamengo – manager David Moyes said: “We are delighted to have brought Thierno to the Club. We see lots of potential and we are hoping for good things from him.
“We will give him plenty of time to settle in and we are looking forward to getting started working with him as soon as possible.
“I’m hoping to make more additions in the coming weeks.”
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