After a tense relegation battle which saw Everton narrowly avoid the Premier League drop for a second season running in 2022-23, a big summer was on the cards.
With another new manager at the helm in Sean Dyche, and many players departing on free transfers, Everton had a substantial rebuilding job on their hands.
Here, Sports Mole summarises and analyses Everton's transfer business and where it leaves them for the season ahead.
Who have Everton signed and sold?
© Reuters
INs
Ashley Young - free from Aston Villa
Arnaut Danjuma - loan from Villarreal
Youssef Chermiti - £11m from Sporting Lisbon
Jack Harrison - loan from Leeds United
Beto - £21.5m from Udinese
OUTs (selected)
Alex Iwobi - £22m to Fulham
Tom Cannon - £7.5m to Leicester City
Ellis Simms - £6m to Coventry City
Yerry Mina - free to Fiorentina
Tom Davies - free to Sheffield United
Conor Coady - loan deal expired
Mason Holgate - loan to Southampton
Neal Maupay - loan to Brentford
How well have Everton strengthened?
© Reuters
Six years after the departure of Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United, Everton fans can finally say the club have gone out and signed a replacement in attack.
The emergence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin helped when the likes of Sandro Ramirez, Cenk Tosun and Moise Kean all failed to live up to expectations.
However, with the signing of Beto, Everton may have found someone that they can rely on up top after years of frustration with injuries to Calvert-Lewin, and backup options who were not capable at Premier League level.
A goal on debut against Doncaster Rovers and an impressive performance in his first league appearance against Sheffield United for Beto has got the Everton faithful showing some signs of optimism again.
The lack of goals in general has also seen Everton bring in two goalscoring wingers in the form of Arnaut Danjuma and Jack Harrison - both on loan deals.
Harrison scored 21 Premier League goals in three years at Leeds, as well registering 16 assists, so Dyche will hope that he can be an upgrade on the rather feeble returns of Everton midfielders in seasons gone by.
The arrival of Youssef Chermiti was touted as one for the future, but the 19-year-old will likely get more first-team action than initially expected, and whether he can quickly make the step up will be a topic of conversation at Goodison Park this season too.
Where else could Everton have targeted?
© Reuters
Despite the improvements in attack though, there are still gaping holes all over Everton's squad.
The nasty injury to Seamus Coleman paired with the departures of Yerry Mina and Conor Coady makes Everton's decision to not add any further defensive reinforcements look baffling.
Until Coleman returns, young Nathan Patterson - who has had some difficulties already at this level both with his form and injuries - is Everton's only option at right-back.
Dyche appeared content with using Michael Keane as Everton's first-choice centre-back this season alongside James Tarkowski, but after a horror-show performance in a 4-0 defeat at Aston Villa, he has lost his place in the side again.
Everton have since turned to 21-year-old Jarrad Branthwaite, fresh off a successful season on loan at PSV Eindhoven last year, to be first-choice.
However, any injuries or suspensions at the back would leave Everton very short in numbers, especially on the right and in the centre, while Vitalii Mykolenko does not offer much encouragement at left-back either, should he need to deputise for Ashley Young.
The sale of Alex Iwobi and Demarai Gray's banishment from the squad leaves Everton short in wide areas too, particularly on the right.
James Garner has had to play out of position as a right-winger so far this season, with their only option in that role, Harrison, out injured.
Targets Everton missed out on:
© Reuters
It was a very quiet deadline day for Everton, and that came after Leeds rejected a third bid for winger Wilfried Gnonto on August 31, with the Toffees unwilling to meet the club's £30m valuation placed on the Italy international.
There were no attempts from Everton to pursue other targets after being knocked back by Leeds, so the only targets they missed out on were from earlier in the window.
Despite Beto's eventual arrival, El Bilal Toure was the man that Everton chased for much of pre-season before the striker opted to join Atalanta instead as Rasmus Hojlund's replacement.
Reports suggested that Everton also made more than one approach for Southampton's Che Adams, but even though he was left out of their squad for a league clash against Queens Park Rangers, a move never materialised and the story went quiet.
Other names such as Kamaldeen Sulemana, Maxwel Cornet, Danny Ings and Nico Elvedi all gained some traction in the latter weeks of the window, but the genuine interest from Everton was never confirmed.
Who have Everton kept hold of?
© Reuters
After losing Richarlison last summer and Anthony Gordon in January, there were not many players in the Everton squad attracting much interest from clubs higher up the table this time around.
With Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea all on the hunt for new goalkeepers this summer, Jordan Pickford's name was thrown about in some quarters, but the England number one has always reiterated his desire to stay at Everton, backed up by him signing a new contract in February.
Man United were also linked with Amadou Onana, but that speculation never advanced into anything greater, as the Red Devils eventually signed long-term target Sofyan Amrabat.
Who have Everton have lost?
© Reuters
Out of the long list of 19 departures from Everton this summer, that of Iwobi will probably be most notable.
Despite getting a good fee for a player in the final year of his contract, Iwobi was a regular and one of Everton's key chance creators in a squad which does not possess much creative ability.
The rumoured falling out between Gray and Dyche means that he is unlikely to play for the club again, but a move to Saudi Arabia is now the only option with most other transfer windows now closed across the world.
Gray is one of the few players at the club who brings genuine pace and explosiveness and a like-for-like replacement has not arrived, meaning that the club are trying to keep him, but the relationship looks to have broken down.
Most supporters were in agreement that Mina was the best defender at the club, but a constant stream of lengthy absences with injury means that the Colombian was never likely going to be offered a new deal.
Passing up on the opportunity to sign Coady for £4.5m left many fans scratching their heads too given the lack of cover in that position, and that could be something that is looked back upon with regret if more injuries come.
Everton's transfer window - 3/10
Overall, most Everton fans will be massively disappointed with their club's summer business, given the amount of money which was brought in, but not reinvested.
Everton have one of the smallest squad's in the Premier League, and allowing three more players to depart with Gray likely to follow on deadline day without bringing anyone in enraged many supporters.
The signing of Beto in attack is an exciting one and gives Everton two good options in attack now along with Calvert-Lewin, but they are alarmingly short in many areas of the pitch.
Another wide player was needed and starting the season with only one senior right-back available is borderline amateurish.
With a fully-fit squad, Dyche can field a starting XI which should survive relegation, but injuries and the Africa Cup of Nations are likely to decimate the squad in key areas at some point, and Everton have left themselves well short in terms of numbers.
