With no manager in place at Goodison Park, it’s particularly difficult to envisage how this transfer window pans out for Everton.
Rafa Benitez is the favourite for the job and is on the verge of becoming the new boss. The sooner he arrives, the quicker they can bring in new faces.
What’s the word?
One area of the squad the Toffees look keen on improving is in defence.
Merih Demiral is on their radar, a player who was rather disappointing for Turkey at Euro 2020.
Another experienced international Everton have now been linked with a move for is Mattia De Sciglio.
He spent last term on loan at Lyon but he’s now back at Juventus and searching for the exit door again.
Italian media suggest a fee of £5m could prise him away from Turin, with the Merseyside club believed to be a suitor.
Should they sign him?
With Seamus Coleman now in the final year of his contract at Goodison Park, it would be a wise idea for Everton to sign a new full-back.
De Sciglio’s career hasn’t quite turned out in the way it was hoped when he first came through the ranks but he’d still be a valuable signing for the Merseyside club.
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As he was breaking onto the scene, the great Italian defender Paolo Maldini suggested he could have a career like his: “I think De Sciglio can follow a similar path to me at Milan. Things aren’t going too well at the moment, but he can have a career like mine."
At the age of 28, that ship has sailed but the £97k-per-week earner is a particularly versatile player.
Last term, the Juventus defender played at left-back, in the centre of defence and at right-back. Everton already have a like-minded player in Ben Godfrey who was a huge success under Carlo Ancelotti in his first term at Goodison.
He is a different age to De Sciglio but it proves how valuable it is to have a defensively versatile player in their ranks.
Described as a player with “electric feet” by Alberigo Evani, the defender is two-footed and strong in the tackle. During the course of his career, he’s averaged 1.8 tackles per game; a higher tally than Coleman.
The arrival of the Italian, therefore, could put the final nail in the coffin of the captain’s Everton stay.