Having now taken on Ashley Cole, who has quickly built a reputation as a promising coach, it will be fascinating to see how Frank Lampard, with his own major point to prove, fares at Everton.
And it will be fascinating to see what he can do with Manchester United’s Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli, the latter of whom will, at least, belong to him.
Between these two latest signings, there is talent, obviously.
But when Farhad Moshiri took Everton over in 2016, the grand ambition was to challenge the rule of the so-called Big Six.
Yet, as they have done so often, Everton are recruiting players who have recently established themselves as not good enough to get into so-called Big Six teams.
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The masterplan was to challenge the likes of Manchester United … now, with that masterplan in shreds, they are reduced to begging for and borrowing United’s unwanted scraps.
Lampard might get the best out of Van de Beek and the best out of Alli, but their recruitment is a reflection of the failings of the Moshiri regime.
It has been a frequently bizarre transfer template, taking, often at great cost, operators surplus to requirement at clubs who Everton aspire to be back amongst.
That template was set when Moshiri sanctioned the £20million signing of Morgan Schneiderlin, who had endured a dismal 18 months at Old Trafford.
And from that moment, Big Six cast-offs have found nice little earners at Goodison Park.
Think £20million Theo Walcott or £27million Alex Iwobi. Wayne Rooney was free and a good story but he was still considered past his best by United, while ten million pounds and just as much in wages makes the Fabian Delph acquisition prominent in a highly competitive field of poor signings.
To an extent, a transfer policy can only be judged with hindsight - but Everton’s has to be among the most questionable in recent Premier League history.
And that is what Lampard is up against.
Presumably, though, Van de Beek and Alli were, in part, Lampard productions.
And at least, for now, they have not cost Everton too much cash: Alli’s is a truly bizarre play-now-pay-later deal while Van de Beek is a ‘gift’ of the Premier League’s diseased loan system.
Having said that, such has been the impression made by Van de Beek at Old Trafford that it is a wonder United did not insist the Dutchman DOES play against them when they travel to Goodison Park in early April.
Lampard has got some work to do if he is to re-inject some confidence into Van de Beek.
And the same goes for Alli, although you suspect he has never really lost too much self-belief.
Right now, Lampard has only got one job and that is to keep Everton in the Premier League.
But if, in the process, he can get this pair pulling up some trees again, then Everton will know they might finally have some sort of messiah on their hands.
