Whoever becomes the new manager of Everton will have a task on their hands to reach an elusive Champions League place.
It was the goal of Roberto Martinez when he first arrived and it has been the ambition of every coach since, including Carlo Ancelotti.
On the chalkboard
Everton haven’t been afraid to spend big in the last few years but unfortunately, it’s not got them any closer to a spot in the top four.
Rafa Benitez has been linked with the job and could use his contact books to attract some of the finest talent in Europe to Goodison Park.
One area he’ll need to target is in defence. Mason Holgate endured a poor end to the campaign with a host of defensive mistakes against Aston Villa and Manchester City while Seamus Coleman isn’t getting any younger.
The Toffees skipper has just one year left on his current deal in Merseyside so it would wise for Everton to look at finding his successor.
Devastating Dumfries
One player they’ve been linked with over the last few days is Euro 2020 star, Denzel Dumfries.
That’s courtesy of a report from Voetbal International (via Sempre Inter) who suggests Everton and Inter Milan could battle it out to sign the Netherlands wing-back.
Inter’s need may be more pressing with Achraf Hakimi close to joining Chelsea but after a wonderful European Championships, Benitez or whoever the new manager is must do all they can to bring him to Merseyside.
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The flying defender has been in red-hot form over the course of the Euros, scoring in successive games for the Netherlands and earning a Player of the Match award in both outings.
He scored the winning goal against Ukraine with a header and then burst forward in lung-busting fashion to get on the end of a Dutch counter-attack against Austria.
Memphis Depay flicked the ball over the top into the path of Donyell Malen who then laid the ball on a plate for Dumfries to fire home after galloping forward down the right.
As the 6 ft 2 colossus celebrated his strike, BBC commentator Jonathan Pearce screamed “the freight train has arrived!”
That was a perfect way to sum up his play style. The 25-year-old is relentless in his desire to get forward, providing nine assists for PSV Eindhoven last term in all competitions.
His power is remarkable and his pace is electrifying, regularly beating defenders. If Everton are searching for someone to replace Coleman he’d be ideal.
After all, the Irishman has been a persistent threat himself. During his days in the Premier League, Coleman has registered 26 goals and 31 assists.
With Dumfries now adding goals to his game as well, he is a scary proposition for any defence and must be considered strongly by Everton director Marcel Brands.