There are awkward goodbyes and then there is the goodbye that Everton had to bid Folarin Balogun on transfer deadline day earlier this month.

The Toffees truly came unstuck when the American had enough of waiting in the corridors for those on Merseyside to make their decision, all whilst also enquiring about alternatives just rooms away from their potential arrival.

There are ways to do business and even the most optimistic Everton fans will admit that those in charge at the club operated in a way that was always likely to end in a shortage of strikers.

Still, at least they have Thierno Barry.

How Thiero Barry has improved this season

The sideshow to the striker fiasco on deadline day could be followed on Barry's social media. The striker, now a lone wolf in that department, seemed to welcome the responsibility and has since been in the goals to prove it.

With five goals in seven games in all competitions, the 6 foot 5 star is doing his best to eradicate the Balogun name and prove why he is the man that Everton should rely on.

The best way to highlight his improvement is, of course, to look at last season's numbers. It was then that Barry scored just eight goals, albeit with all eight coming in the Premier League.

That means he is just one goal away from matching last season's total after just seven games in all competitions. That £27m price tag is beginning to look like a bargain.

Every key statistic has improved this season and, crucially, the best is yet to come if Barry begins to match his expected rate. It's also a reflection on how Everton have improved, with the forward now spending more time in the opposition's box - boosting his goals as a result.

How Everton can improve their strike department

No matter how many gimmicky social media posts suggest otherwise, Barry cannot do it by himself. He needs backup and could receive exactly that in the form of an elite striker.

The transfer window may be closed, and has been for a few weeks now, but that may not stop Everton from welcoming an elite-level striker.

The free agent market is still very much available and in it lies a forward who could turn into the bargain of the season. Anthony Martial has already been linked, as has Mauro Icardi.

According to reports in Argentina, relayed by Sport Witness, Everton have held talks to sign Icardi as a free agent as they look to solve their shortage of forwards.

The former Galatasaray man has, however, placed importance on playing Champions League football at his next club and that is something Everton simply cannot offer this season.

Whether that stance lasts the test of time is the question that Everton must ask when the time is right. The longer Icardi remains without a club, the more a move to Everton may seem possible.

There's no escaping the fact that it would be an excellent addition for David Moyes, too. As impressive as Barry has been, Icardi is a striker of world-class calibre. Even if he can't play every week at 33 years old, the South American could act as Moyes' big-game star.

The list of clubs speaks for itself and wherever Icardi has been, he has thrived. Even at his most recent club as a striker edging past the peak of his powers, the 33-year-old was involved in 92 goals in 134 games. That is a sensational record, certainly better than Barry has shown in his career to date.

Everton do not need another young striker to compete with Barry. They need someone more accomplished. Someone to pave the way for Barry, to help take the forward to that next level all whilst adding some big-game moments himself.

That, on paper, is the role Icardi would play.