Everton were linked with plenty of players over the summer, with Frank Lampard desperate to stamp his mark on a side that were beaten and bruised throughout a testing season.

With the inevitable sale of Richarlison, the Toffees earned a much-needed £60m cash injection to reinvest.

A winger was a must, and in Dwight McNeil, they secured a solid if unspectacular option, perhaps freeing up the money used to buy Amadou Onana.

However, with how Everton have started the season, perhaps they should have invested more heavily in a reliable source of goals from out wide.

Before yesterday’s defeat, they boasted the outright best defence in the Premier League but had only scored eight goals in nine games.

Perhaps if they had secured the signing of Ismaila Sarr from Watford, who they were credited as holding an interest in, they might have been able to turn some of those draws into wins.

Especially if he were to have replaced Anthony Gordon, who despite his two goals, has largely disappointed so far this campaign.

The Senegalese speedster conversely has four goals and two assists in the Championship and would have joined already in possession of Premier League experience.

In just 22 games last season, he scored five and assisted twice in the top flight.

Meanwhile, the boyhood Evertonian could only muster four goals and two assists having played 13 more games.

Gordon is actually yet to have an outstanding goal-scoring season, whereas Sarr has already lit the Championship up previously. If he had joined and brought even a fraction of the ability that led him to 13 goals and ten assists in the 2020/21 season, he would have surely been a success.

Also, Lampard would have benefitted from a proper wide man with pace and power far greater than any of their current wide men.

Journalist Rob Blanchette actually thought the winger would be a good buy for Manchester United, citing him as “young, hungry and electric."

Whilst Gordon showed flashes last season that he could be just this for Everton, his average SofaScore rating of 6.79 this season suggests his failed move to Chelsea might be affecting his form.

With Sarr reportedly having been available for £25m, just £5m more than McNeil, perhaps this will go down as one of Kevin Thelwell’s rare transfer blunders during his short time on Merseyside.