So what’s changed? Put simply, he’s finally the main man.

Selling Beto was far from ideal for Everton

Let’s not pretend the summer window was handled well. Everton sold Beto to Fiorentina for around £14.6m on deadline day, then watched the proposed deal for Folarin Balogun fall through.

That left David Moyes with one senior striker for the whole season. For a club with ambitions of pushing for Europe, it was amateurish.

And Beto hasn’t exactly thrived since. He’s yet to score in seven games for Fiorentina, and sits behind Mateo Pellegrino in the pecking order. But for Barry, the sale has helped him bloom.

Thierno Barry is thriving as Everton’s undisputed No.9

Last season, Thierno Barry featured in all 38 Premier League games, yet started only 21. He was sharing the role with Beto, in and out of the side, never sure of his place. He still scored eight league goals, which is decent for a young player in his first Premier League season.

This season, he’s started every single game, league and cup. He isn’t looking over his shoulder and there’s no competition for his position. That could be seen as a bad thing, but it’s clearly had a positive impact on Barry. He’s sharper in front of goal, more involved in the build-up, and he’s added assists to his game. His cross for Hayden Hackney’s goal against Newcastle wasn’t something we saw much from him last term.

Strikers want to know they’re playing. It gives them confidence and assurance. The way Barry’s playing, no wonder his value has shot up by £20m since he signed.

Of course, there is still a massive risk, and the club shouldn’t be forgiven for leaving that position so short in the summer. One injury to Barry and Moyes has no senior striker at all, which is why the January window is still crucial.

But if there’s one silver lining to Everton’s messy summer, it’s this: they may have inadvertently created the striker they’ve been crying out for.