"My commitment to the club remains strong and focused and Kevin Thelwell and the Chairman are currently working hard to bring in new players to improve Frank Lampard’s squad. There will be new signings and I would ask supporters to judge us at the end of the transfer window – not now – and to listen to official club channels for information."
Those words seem like a long time ago, and in the grand scheme of football they probably were. On July 14th, Farhad Moshiri wrote to supporters for the second time in as many weeks, primarily to address the talk of a potential takeover which had been rumbling for a while previously.
But, just as interesting as the majority shareholder reiterating his commitment to Everton were those comments about the transfer window. At the time the only arrival at Goodison Park following a scary 2021/22 campaign was that of James Tarkowski on a free, and some murmurs were beginning to creep up about the club's recruitment and what the prospects for the coming campaign might be.
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However, those comments from Moshiri were widely understood and respected. It might be an uncomfortably long transfer window given how much it stretched into the current campaign, but it was right to reserve judgement until everything was done and dusted.
As of 11pm on Thursday, that was the case. So, what's the judgment?
Of course, the answer to that is really objective to any of you reading this. Evertonians will come to their own conclusions based on what has taken place over the last few months at the club.
But there are interesting points to be made, both on and off the pitch, which show some tangible progress and some legitimate platforms being laid for the future. The mood after the Merseyside Derby, despite Everton still searching for their first Premier League win after six matches, points to how happy fans are with the strategy and vision that is clearly being put in place on the pitch.
If we talk primarily about transfers for now, it's clear that the Blues didn't have the "perfect" window - but who genuinely does in this modern age? Considering the financial difficulties the club were struggling with, their lowly finish at the end of last term and the vast array of separate issues that needed to be addressed - you've got to say they've come out of the summer looking pretty good.
Lampard talked at the end of last season of a need to make his side more robust, and he's been unfortunate that injuries are still playing their part at the beginning of this term (even though some might have you believe only certain sides suffer with injuries). But, despite that, he's still managed to make major improvements to the defence with the additions of James Tarkowski and Conor Coady - while Ruben Vinagre provides shrewd and low-risk cover in another position.
The midfield is what has really taken focus towards the end of the transfer window and it's not hard to see why. Amadou Onana, Idrissa Gueye and James Garner have instantly improved competition - with Alex Iwobi, Tom Davies, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan ready to battle it out for their places in the side too. If Everton utilise the 4-3-3 that many want to see for the majority of the campaign, then those are vital additions to the side.
Looking further up the pitch is where questions still remain, despite the arrivals of Dwight McNeil and Neal Maupay. Losing Richarlison was to be expected in a lot of ways, but that doesn't make his departure any more significant - while another injury to Dominic Calvert-Lewin still leaves doubts around how many games he will be available for this season.
Keeping Anthony Gordon, as it turned out, was very important. It seemed that Everton assessed their potential options for replacements, decided that none were right for the prices that were being quoted, and decided to keep hold of their talented youngster instead - refusing to budge from a deadline of their own.
Refusing to panic in the closing days and hours of the transfer window as well is a good sign of growth. Lampard made clear that it was about securing the right player, rather than potentially overpaying for someone who wouldn't fit into the side as well - and that is the way it transpired.
In recent years, at times it has seemed that the club's recruitment strategy has been getting pulled in multiple different ways. However, that now seems to have changed for the better.
There was a real trust in Lampard and Kevin Thelwell to make the right decisions to take the club forwards on the pitch, while Moshiri has remained an elusive figure in the background. Evertonians have not heard from him since his comments in July, although to be fair they haven't necessarily had to.
You do wonder if the owner will release any more statements in the near future to address supporters, however, given that he made such a point about judgement following the transfer window. Fans still want quite regular communication from the majority shareholder, so perhaps it wouldn't be the worst idea.
Among talk of transfers there are multiple other facets that come into the discussion, not least the progress taking place at Bramley-Moore Dock. Heading down to the waterfront now and seeing those stands rising up is absolutely fantastic to witness.
Again, that's something Moshiri has so often reiterated his commitment to - and with the future funding model still not confirmed by the club his finances and his involvement are still vital. In general recently the billionaire might have been a bit more quiet and hasn't shown his face around Goodison Park as often as he used to, but working in the background such as this might actually be the way forward.
Appointments at Finch Farm have been made to massively overhaul the Academy structure to align with the strategy at hand, new commercial partners have been sourced (some more controversial than others, it has to be said) in order to bolster revenue streams and generally people have been trusted to do the jobs at hand - even in what has been often a tough climate to work in.
So, how will the club be judged at the end of this transfer window? There's a lot of evidence to suggest that it will be rather favourable.
That doesn't mean that things are currently perfect. Evertonians are desperate for continued improvement in every aspect of the club's dealings and that will mean Moshiri, along with the rest of the hierarchy, will continue to be under the microscope.
But, just as there is on the pitch, the positive signs are there for important growth off it. Keep this going and build on the momentum being displayed, and fans will be happy.
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