It's fair to say that Everton's transfer window has really kicked into gear over the course of recent weeks.
Just a short while ago, fans in some quarters were perhaps getting a little edgy about the lack of business the club were completing after what was such a tough campaign in 2021/22. James Tarkowski's arrival on a free transfer was rightly lauded as something of a coup, but it was obvious to many that multiple other positions desperately needed to be addressed.
Recent weeks, however, have seen the activity at Finch Farm ramp up. Ruben Vinagre, Dwight McNeil, Conor Coady and now Amadou Onana have all come through the doors to bolster options available to Frank Lampard - and that shouldn't be the end of it.
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A move to bring Idrissa Gueye back to the club is understood to be nearing completion, while the hunt for more forward options goes on. The latter of those, you feel, becomes the major priority for the manager and Kevin Thelwell to secure.
The pair have worked well together over the course of the transfer window to identify targets in the right positions in the squad, with good profiles both on and off the pitch, and with the appropriate qualities to take the club in the right direction. The proof will no doubt be in the pudding in terms of how well this window is seen in years to come, but at the time of writing the mood among supporters is generally very high.
However, the clamour for a new forward was there even before Dominic Calvert-Lewin suffered the injury which would keep him out of the opening weeks of Everton's season. The exit of Richarlison has taken away the club's main goal threat from last season, and there's little doubt that gap still needs to be filled.
Injuries could potentially have accelerated that need, however. With the 25-year-old not set to be back in action for another five weeks approximately, the Blues are left with Salomon Rondon as their senior out-and-out option in that area of the pitch after his return from suspension.
The Venezuela international hasn't managed to find the back of the net regularly during his time at Everton, even as he was called upon in the absence of Calvert-Lewin last season. It seems clear that Lampard and Thelwell need to find a different solution to this issue, and that will lead them to the transfer market.
The defeat to Chelsea was generally solid from the hosts, but it did show that the squad was rather toothless at the top end of the pitch. While matters have improved at the back, and perhaps will continue to get better in the middle of the pitch too with new transfers, the final third is still a little lacking despite the arrival of McNeil as a creative force.
Of course that will be a priority over the final weeks of the window for Everton's hierarchy, but it won't be the only one. Transfer windows are not only about incomings, but outgoings as well.
Injuries in the centre-back positions mean that the arrival of Coady was more of a necessity than it otherwise might have been. Before Saturday's match some wondered whether any players in that position would be allowed to leave Goodison Park before the end of the month, but now it seems that options would need to be reassessed in that area.
However, in midfield, there now seems to be a surplus of players. Especially if the return of Gueye is added into the mix, there are a few who could take up two positions in the current system.
If Lampard is to stick with a two-man partnership in the centre of the pitch for large portions of the campaign then he could have a wealth of options open to him. Gueye would be added to those choices, as Onana already has.
Alex Iwobi and Abdoulaye Doucoure were the starting options against Chelsea and the pair performed excellently. Allan, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and youngster Lewis Warrington were on the bench - while Andre Gomes and Tom Davies were not selected due to respective injuries.
Even if the manager were to opt for three midfielders in a new formation at certain points over the 2022/23 season, which is a possibility as he has wanted flexibility in his squad, up to nine options for those roles is a lot. Add Dele potentially into the mix for an attacking midfield role in a three, and it becomes even more wide-ranging.
A problem that has plagued the club for a number of years now has been the accommodation of players who are surplus to requirements, often on large wages, who play few games for the money they pick up. That was addressed somewhat by some reaching the ends of their contracts in the summer, but a need to find transfers or loans for others remains.
So, while Everton's business has certainly picked up in exciting fashion over recent weeks, the job certainly isn't done yet.
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