Norberto "Beto" Betuncal 14

Everton's long search to sign a viable alternative to injury-ravaged Dominic Calvert-Lewin finally came to an end in August 2023 when they secured Portuguese striker Beto, eight months after failing in bid to sign him before the 202-23 winter transfer deadline.

The 25-year-old put pen to paper on a four-year contract to complete a transfer from Udinese reportedly worth up to £25m to become the Toffees' fifth signing of that summer.

Born in Lisbon with ancestral ties to Guinea-Bissau, Beto was something of a late bloomer, first asked to join Benfica's academy before being let go as a teenager. He eventually signed with amateur side URD Tires and worked part-time in KFC to earn a living before moving to Olimpico Montijo where he netted 21 goals in 34 games, alerting Portimonense SC who snapped him up in 2019.

He has been with Udinese since joining them from Portimonense, initially on loan, in 2021 having scored 13 goals in 47 appearances for the Portuguese club. That move was made permanent the following year in a €7m deal Beto has since played 65 games for the Serie A outfit, scoring 22 times.

At 6' 4", the burly striker was seen as a viable replacement and competitor to Calvert-Lewin and a possible solution to the club's barren start to 2023-24 which yielded 0 points and no goals in the opening three matches of the campaign, an unwanted first in club history. Indeed, he would notch the club's first goal of that season, albeit in the Carabao Cup when he came off the bench to make his debut an equalise against Doncaster before Arnaut Danjuma notched a late winner but overall he found his first year in England hard going.

With Calvert-Lewin able to play in 32 Premier League games, Beto wasn't able to make the starting role his own and was used extensively off the bench where his awkward and unpredictable style could often unsettle opposition defences. He registered four goals in all competitions, all but one of them as a substitute and was hoping to make a bigger impression in his second season at Goodison Park.

FactFile