Everton are enjoying a much more stable start to their Premier League season and are currently unbeaten in their last five outings in the top flight, which will be a huge relief to Frank Lampard who had to endure some big changes to his team over the last few months.

With Brazilian midfielder Allan the latest to make the move away from Merseyside, the Toffees had 12 departures from Goodison Park over the summer, and there was one player in particular that caused a big stir.

Richarlison left for Tottenham Hotspur early into the summer transfer window with Everton collecting a £60m transfer fee for the talented forward. That left Lampard with a gaping hole in his attacking threat as the Brazilian was a consistent and reliable performer in the team, scoring 53 goals during his time on Merseyside.

It was never going to be an easy job to fill his boots at the club, and with Dominic Calvert-Lewin picking up an injury during pre-season it left the Toffees' boss in an even weaker position, one that resulted in Anthony Gordon having to take up the centre-forward role in their Premier League opener.

Everton did eventually sign Brighton and Hove Albion striker Neal Maupay and wanted to add another forward player in the final hours of Deadline Day but were unable to strike an agreement for any other targets in time.

As a result, Richarlison was never really replaced following his departure but what if Lampard could replace the player's goal contributions without spending a penny?

One player who has been waiting patiently for his golden opportunity at Goodison Park is centre-forward Tom Cannon, who only last month signed a brand new three-year deal to remain with Everton.

Sporting director Kevin Thelwell spoke out on the 19-year-old upon securing the player's future until June 2025, hailing Cannon in an interview with Everton's club website, commenting:

“He is a very talented young striker. He has an excellent work ethic and has proven his ability to score goals at every level he has played at.

“We have a specific development plan in place for Tom and I am looking forward to seeing him continue to progress.”

The young striker has also featured on the left wing a handful of times - a favourite position of Richarlison - and has scored 44 goals and delivered 13 assists over his career so far while rising through the ranks of the Everton academy. Impressively, he has registered a goal contribution every 102 minutes in the U18s and U21s combined.

This season in Premier League 2, Cannon has been stealing the spotlight in the hope of grabbing Lampard's attention for a call-up to the senior squad.

He has four goals and two assists in just five matches, meaning he is currently the joint third top-goal scorer in the league. He has also caught the eye in the EFL trophy where he has added another goal to his collection.

With that being said, Lampard should be keeping a close eye on Cannon as he could come in handy for Everton as they progress through the season and domestic cup competitions. Hoping to follow in the footsteps of academy graduate, Gordon, he could become the perfect replacement for Richarlison's attacking threat in the coming seasons.