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Marco Silva has taken Everton on leaps and bounds since being brought in to replace Sam Allardyce in the summer, as he takes the Toffees to sixth in the standings - if they finish in this spot it will be their best campaign since Belgium boss Roberto Martinez took them to fifth in the 2013/14 season.

Just six points outside the top four, a good run of results could be enough for Silva and his men to catch Spurs but, as their competition will surely splash the cash in January, what can the Portuguese do to ensure they keep pace and challenge for those coveted Champions League spots?

Everton have been criticised in recent years for their reckless and bizarre spending and it is crucial in the new year that their approach is calculated.

Click through the gallery below to see the three January signings that could help the Merseyside outfit take the long-awaited step up that would turn the Big Six into the Big Seven.

One thing that Everton have lacked since Romelu Lukaku departed for Manchester United in summer 2017 is a recognised goal-scorer up front and, while he can do a pretty good job, Richarlison is not the man to lead the Toffees trident and should remain out wide where he can run at full-backs or cut inside.

Sebastian Haller has formed a lethal partnership with Luka Jovic at Eintracht Frankfurt as he chalks up an incredible nine goals and six assists in the Bundesliga this season and, at 6-foot-3, the 24-year-old possesses the physical presence that the likes of Richarlison and Bernard are surely craving.

The former Utrecht man is valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, but will likely command more than that after his sensational start to the season.

Seamus Coleman has been at Goodison Park since 2010, when he left Sligo Rovers for a fee of just £63k, and has established himself as one of the club's most dedicated and consistent performers. However, as the Irishman enters his twilight years, Everton must step up their pursuit of a right-back who can fill the 30-year-old's boots.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been Crystal Palace's standout player this season - the youngster was voted player of the month on three consecutive occasions, before Wayne Hennessey scooped the award for November, and is statistically one of Europe's top five league's best young stars this campaign.

The academy graduate completes an impressive 4.1 tackles and 2.7 interceptions per game and, at just 21 years old, has plenty of time to get even better.

 

There is arguably one player in the Toffees squad that is indispensable and, if Marco Silva does indeed have top four ambitions, this is a worry as, should this player succumb to injury, the balance of the team is lost.

Gylfi Sigurdsson is the beating heart of the attack - almost everything good about Everton in the final third comes through the Icelandic creator - and a priority in January must be to ensure that there is a player brought in who has the same eye for a pass and technical ability.

As Arsenal scour the market for wide midfielders, Henrikh Mkhitaryan's place looks to be under threat and Silva must capitalise. Capable of making something happen with either foot, the Armenian's vision and passing ability would lessen the burden on Sigurdsson and give opposition another maestro to be wary of.