Everton have been trying to improve their defensive performances on the pitch, and they made some drastic changes to their personnel over the summer in one of the most important areas of the squad.

The Toffees acquired the services of Conor Coady and James Tarkowski ahead of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign after enduring a difficult relegation scrap last season, and the pair have transformed the defence at Goodison Park.

The two English centre-backs quickly developed a formidable partnership which has seen Everton boast one of the best defensive records in the top flight this season despite their lowly position of 17th, a stark contrast to 2021/22 when only four top-flight teams conceded more regularly.

Frank Lampard had a huge clearout of some of the most underperforming players in the squad in the summer, with Dele Alli, Cenk Tosun, Fabian Delph, Andre Gomes and Allan being shown the exit door, and now the former Chelsea boss could be about to jettison a few more players in the January transfer window.

One player who could be sent packing in the New Year is defender Yerry Mina, with reports that Inter Milan are already lining up a bid for the Colombian and Lampard already eyeing up his replacement in long-term transfer target Rodrigo Becao.

Mina has had a number of injuries over the last 18 months which have made him completely unreliable and an inconsistent feature at Goodison Park, which will be frustrating for this manager considering that the centre-back is earning the joint-highest wage at the club.

The £120k-per-week dud - who was once dubbed an "embarrassment" by Jeff Stelling and criticised as a "showman" by Liverpool Echo’s Phil Kirkbride - has been out of action since picking up another injury in the Premier League opener against Chelsea in August, suffering an ankle ligament injury. Upon a brief return to action in a friendly against Celtic last month, he then picked up a hamstring problem.

Therefore, selling the 28-year-old would be massively beneficial to Everton, as they could reinvest his large salary into a player who can offer high quality and availability, with Becao reportedly available for just €20m (£17.6m).

Across nine Serie A appearances this season, the Udinese man has scored one goal, registered one assist and completed 50% of his dribbles. He has averaged 32.7 accurate passes, three tackles, 1.6 clearances and 6.6 duels won per game, proving to be a highly effective presence both defensively and in attacking play.

With that in mind, signing Becao would be a great opportunity for Lampard to strengthen the depth of his defence at Goodison Park, and finally parting ways with Mina would give Everton the chance to reinvest in a player who could really make a difference over the second half of the season.