Everton and West Ham United find themselves at pivotal junctures as the Premier League season barrels toward its conclusion. With both clubs battling for vastly different goals—Everton eyeing European spots and West Ham fighting to escape relegation—recent developments, transfer speculation, and bold predictions have set tongues wagging across English football.
Everton, under the stewardship of David Moyes, are staring down another summer of soul-searching when it comes to their attacking options. The struggles of Thierno Barry and Beto have been well documented throughout the 2025-26 campaign. Barry, who started the majority of Everton’s matches, has simply failed to replicate the form that once made him a promising acquisition from Villarreal. Five goals in the Premier League so far this season tell a story of missed opportunities and mounting pressure.
The Toffees’ recruitment team, led by Angus Kinnear, are now reportedly casting their gaze towards Spain once again, this time considering Karl Etta Eyong of Levante. Eyong, a Cameroonian striker who left Villarreal last year, has had a mixed campaign in La Liga. He started brightly, netting six goals in his first ten games, but has since endured a worrying drought—fourteen matches without finding the back of the net as of late February 2026. Everton fans, still licking their wounds from previous misfires in the transfer market, are understandably wary.
The numbers don’t lie. Comparing Barry’s 2024-25 season at Villarreal to Eyong’s current stint at Levante paints a sobering picture. Barry tallied 11 goals and four assists in 35 appearances, while Eyong has six goals and three assists in 23 outings this season. The issue? All of Eyong’s strikes came before October, leaving Everton supporters and pundits alike questioning whether he’s the right man to lead the line at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
“Lessons have to be taken from these failed signings and the same can be said about the struggles experienced by Barry since his move from Spain over the summer,” noted a recent Everton analysis. It’s a sentiment echoed by many who have watched the club’s revolving door of strikers struggle to adapt to the physicality and pace of the Premier League. The Friedkin Group, who made a statement of intent in last summer’s window, face a crucial decision: double down on their transfer strategy or pivot to a more proven, perhaps domestic, option up front.
Alan Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time top scorer, weighed in on Everton’s predicament. He urged the club to “find an improvement at striker when the summer window opens,” highlighting that Barry’s five-goal return simply isn’t enough for a club aspiring to European qualification. Moyes, for his part, has insisted that the Friedkin Group backed him in January, but lamented that the players they truly wanted were unavailable. Now, with the winter window closed, Everton have no room for excuses come summer—reinforcements are a must if they’re to keep pace with the league’s elite.
Meanwhile, the narrative is far more fraught at the other end of the table, where West Ham United are scrapping for survival. The Hammers, currently in the bottom three and two points adrift of 17th-place Nottingham Forest, are gearing up for a daunting clash against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, February 29, 2026. Despite their precarious position, West Ham have shown signs of life, conceding just one goal across their last four matches in all competitions and picking up 11 points from their last six Premier League games.
Yet, few outside East London are giving them much of a chance against a Liverpool side that has lost only once in their last ten home games. That is, until Roberto Martinez, currently managing the Portugal national team, dropped a bombshell prediction on the popular football podcast ‘Stick to Football.’ Martinez boldly forecasted a 1-0 West Ham win at Anfield, citing the tactical acumen of Hammers boss Nuno. “What I think is, the manager at West Ham (Nuno) knows how to win at Anfield, and Liverpool struggle against teams that are very defensive. I fancy West Ham, 1-0, I don’t think they’ll score many goals,” Martinez declared.
His prediction stunned Gary Neville, the former Manchester United defender, who responded, “To win!? Wow. I can buy into that all day long. I wouldn’t have gone with it, but I’m happy with it.” The shock in Neville’s voice captured the prevailing sentiment: few expect West Ham to pull off such an upset, especially given their recent history with Liverpool.
The statistics don’t favor the Hammers. Last season, Liverpool did the double over West Ham in the league and thrashed them 5-1 in the League Cup. West Ham’s last victory over Liverpool came in the 2021-22 season—a 3-2 win at the London Stadium. For a win at Anfield, you have to go back to August 2015, when goals from Manuel Lanzini, Mark Noble, and Diafra Sakho stunned the Merseyside faithful in a 3-0 rout. It’s been over a decade since West Ham tasted victory at Liverpool’s historic ground.
Still, football is a game of hope, and West Ham’s recent defensive solidity offers a glimmer of optimism. Their ability to keep things tight at the back has been a cornerstone of their survival push, and if Nuno can mastermind a shock win, it could prove the turning point in their season. The stakes couldn’t be higher—three points could lift them out of the relegation zone and inject fresh belief into a squad that’s faced more than its share of adversity.
Back on Merseyside, Everton’s transfer machinations will continue to dominate headlines as the season winds down. The club’s supporters will be watching closely to see whether Moyes and his recruitment team heed the warnings of past failures or gamble once again on a striker from La Liga. With the European places still within reach, every decision in the coming months will be scrutinized.
As for West Ham, the trip to Anfield represents more than just another fixture—it’s a chance to rewrite the narrative and perhaps, just perhaps, shock the football world. With Martinez’s bold prediction ringing in their ears and survival on the line, the Hammers are set for a dramatic weekend. Whether they can deliver remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: all eyes will be on Merseyside.