Everton have made the slot between the top six and the rest of the table their own this season. Isolated for much of the campaign, Ronald Koeman’s first campaign as boss of the Toffees has been a satisfactory one, even though it will end without a trophy and no substantial gains made towards breaking into the top six.

There is a new air of ambition around Goodison Park after the word of investment from Farhad Moshiri. The appointment of Koeman has been regarded as a step forward for the club and performances like their 4-0 thrashing of Manchester City give hope that next season will be one to remember.

Seventh place will not be good enough for a demanding Evertonian fanbase next term, though. Progress either in the cups or in the league is needed if they are to prove themselves as anything more than an upper-midtable irritant to the big boys.

Here are FIVE reasons the Toffees could become something really special next season…

Man in the dugout

Koeman has made a great impression since arriving in the Premier League. He stabilised Southampton through a potentially challenging period and has shown tactical flexibility to bring the best out of his Everton side of late.

His travelled managerial career has guided him to Goodison Park and, after the topsy-turvy period under Roberto Martinez, he looks set to be the man to carry Everton onto the next level. No stranger to success as a player or a coach, Koeman is the ideal man for the Merseysiders right now.

Squad framework

While Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka will need to be gradually phased out, Everton have the framework of a squad that could really challenge next season. Ramiro Funes Mori’s recent improvement has aided the defensive effort, Morgan Schneiderlin and Idrissa Gueye are the basis of a very good midfield and the attacking talent in the squad is clear to see.

Ross Barkley is still searching for consistency, but in the form of Ademola Lookman and Tom Davies, Everton have a squad that is only going to improve.

Additions are necessary to make them genuine competitors for the top six, but there is the skeleton of a very able squad at Goodison.

New found riches

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Everton owner Farhad Moshiri and chairman Bill Kenwright in the stands before the match
Action Images via Reuters / Jason Cairnduff
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With the investment of Moshiri – who is worth over £1 billion – Everton have the financial clout to compete with Europe’s biggest clubs.

The addition of Schneiderlin in January was symbolic of the standard of player that Everton can attract and compete for in the market. The Frenchman is one of the Premier League’s best midfielders and, with spending like that set to continue, he could be joined by several players of a similar calibre this summer.

Big Rom

Everton have one of Europe’s best up front. Still raw and often frustrating, Romelu Lukaku is not likely to leave the club this summer considering the fee that Everton would demand, which means the Toffees may get at least one more season from their most valuable asset before one of Europe’s biggest clubs comes in with an offer that is just too good to turn down.

Only behind Alexis Sanchez in the Premier League's goalscoring charts, Lukaku has had another very good season - he has scored 40% of Everton’s goals in the league, in fact.

While he can’t fire them into the top six on his own, further improvement for Lukaku next season will make Everton even more challenging to face. To have a real impact, though, he must improve his record against their rivals.

Consistency will come

Britain Soccer Football - Burnley v Everton - Premier League - Turf Moor - 22/10/16
Everton manager Ronald Koeman looks dejected as he walks off the pitch at full time
Reuters / Anthony Devlin
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The only thing keeping Everton away from the top six is consistency. Their poor run mid-season cost them dearly and has seen them slip to seven points off of sixth-placed Manchester United.

With the squad maturing and Koeman having had longer to build the team that he wants, the Toffees can be expected to perform on a more regular basis next season. Lukaku, Barkley and Kevin Mirallas should all be expected to perform at a more level standard throughout the season, too.