To put as simple a point on things as possible, Everton need to spend their money better in the future.
The Blues found themselves embroiled in a sometimes-toxic relegation battle last season as years of failures came back to haunt them. A mish-mash of a squad, made up of players on inflated wages without the consistent quality to match - realistically that moment was always going to come unless something changed.
Compare it to the strategy under David Moyes and things couldn't look more drastically different. Of course his squad eventually found a ceiling, but the manner in which the accrued new talent over the course of his long tenure at Goodison Park was something that many admired.
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"Dithering Dave" was the moniker often given to him, but working on a shoestring budget for the majority of the time he was able to source players of a certain profile - ideal for the Everton he wanted to create. How long ago that really does seem.
But, a large section of that was based around an ability to sign quality players from lower league and helping them develop into real stars. Look no further than the likes of Tim Cahill and Joleon Lescott for real examples of that in action.
It's something that has largely fallen by the wayside in recent years. An arguably impatient quest for immediate quality has led to Everton searching elsewhere for their transfers.
That's not to suggest that they'd have been fine if they'd just been signing from the Championship in recent years. But, it's something that Blues fans would surely be open to seeing a bit more of in the future.
And that brings us around to the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday. Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest will contest one of the most important matches in world football for a place in the 2022/23 Premier League.
A number of managers will, no doubt, have their eyes on this game - perhaps from wherever they are already spending their holidays after a gruelling season. Some might have transfers at the forefront of their mind, others might want a tactical look at who might be getting promoted - or they could just as easily be purely interested in what is going to be a hotly-contested football match.
For Lampard and Kevin Thelwell, though, new signings could well be at the top of the agenda. Especially if the early rumours from the beginning of this transfer window are to be believed.
Numerous links in recent weeks have suggested that Everton may well be expanding their gaze down into the Championship once more as they look to begin another rebuild of the squad. And a few names could be catching the eye at Wembley.
Brennan Johnson is someone that has been linked with a Premier League move for some time now, with some reports even hinting at links to the Blues last summer. This season, however, has been a real breakout for the 21-year-old.
He's bagged 19 goals in all competitions for Nottingham Forest with still one game left to play, including two in the playoff semi-finals to get them to Wembley in the first place. Add in nine assists to his tally and you can clearly see why the versatile youngster, capable of playing across the front line and in midfield, is such an exciting prospect.
Joe Worrall is another name that has been linked to Everton rather consistently over the last few weeks, with the centre-back also reportedly interesting West Ham United. It's an area of the pitch that the Blues are desperate for new talent, especially with questions still surrounding the future of Yerry Mina.
The Nottingham Forest captain has been a regular throughout his side's run to the playoffs and the 25-year-old still has a lot of room to develop in the future. Especially if the East Midlands side aren't promoted, you might expect there to be a few interested eyes on the defender.
Elsewhere in their squad, Djed Spence is also attracting a fair amount of attention from Premier League sides already. Arsenal and Tottenham are both reported to be at the head of the race for the exciting right-back, whose future could certainly be one to keep an eye on.
Everton, of course, have Nathan Patterson in that position. But with Jonjoe Kenny potentially on his way out after the club submitted its retained list to the Premier League earlier in the week, and with Seamus Coleman entering the last year of his current deal, there is perhaps something to be said about the Blues chasing another right-back.
On the other side of the game, Levi Colwill is the name on a lot of lips already this summer. Technically he is already a Premier League player as he's on loan from Chelsea, but the 19-year-old has really cut his teeth with the Championship side this term.
Already links with moves to Premier League sides have been mooted this summer, but you'd expect Lampard with his connections at Stamford Bridge would be well aware of the centre-back's talents. The likes of Arsenal and Leicester have been credited with interest by some reports.
Some have suggested that Thomas Tuchel might want to have a look at Colwill for his own squad, however, which wouldn't be a surprise given his performances this term.
Those are just four of the names involved in this game but there will no doubt be others catching the eye. James Garner, Lewis O'Brien, Sorba Thomas and more could be the subjects of watching gazes.
But the quality on display shows that there are certainly strong transfers to be had from this level, as there have been in recent years. Everton should turn their focus towards the Championship a little more often.
