Former Everton striker Beto has spoken positively about his relationship with the club’s supporters while explaining why he decided to leave Goodison Park for Fiorentina on deadline day.
Beto arrived at Everton from Udinese for a reported £25.8 million in August 2023. During his time with the Blues, the striker made 113 appearances and scored 25 goals, managing double figures in each of his final two seasons with the club.
With his Everton contract entering its final year, Beto completed a return to Serie A on September 1, joining Fiorentina for a fee understood to be around £17 million. The 28-year-old has since made three appearances for the Tuscan side.
Speaking to Tuttomercatoweb, via Sport Witness, Beto revealed the strong bond he developed with Everton supporters.
“The Everton fans and I have a wonderful relationship. They appreciated my work ethic, even when it came to the dirty work,” he said.
“I left Everton because I felt it was the right time to move on, but I can only thank them with great affection.”
The Lisbon-born forward, who represents Guinea-Bissau internationally, previously enjoyed successful spells in Italy with Udinese, where he also reached double figures for goals in consecutive campaigns.
However, Beto believes his time in England has helped him develop into a more complete player ahead of his return to Serie A.
“Serie A is one of the most competitive leagues, but so is the Premier League. I want to bring intensity and aggression, helping the team by attacking the space in behind,” Beto explained.
“That’s my style of football – physical and aggressive – and I also want to bring experience. I’m not the same player I was during my time at Udinese.”
Beto’s departure came as Everton attempted to bring in Folarin Balogun from Monaco on deadline day. The Blues had initially agreed a sizeable deal for the United States international, but complications during his medical forced the two clubs to renegotiate the transfer.
Everton and Monaco eventually agreed revised terms involving a significantly lower initial fee and appearance-related bonuses. The clubs and Balogun then signed a deal sheet shortly before 11pm in an attempt to complete the move.
However, around an hour later, Balogun reportedly indicated that he wanted to remain with his current club, bringing the proposed transfer to an abrupt end.
As a result of the late developments, Everton manager David Moyes was left with just one senior striker available in Thierno Barry.
Beto breaks silence on Everton exit with blunt ‘dirty work’ message to fans
