Everton have welcomed their new Director of Football, Angus Kinnear, to the club. He's got a lot to do, with David Moyes expecting to be backed by the Friedkin Group as he improves his squad this summer.
The experienced manager returned in January after 12 years away and guided Everton away from relegation bother and into the tranquillity of the Premier League's mid-table pack.
But Moyes no doubt has his eyes on loftier ambitions. He'll want to strengthen with statement signings this summer, one of which may be Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison, who left the Toffees for London in a £60m package back in 2022.
The latest on Richarlison to Everton
It's all gone a bit quiet, truth be told. But then, the 2024/25 campaign has yet to finish up, and there's plenty of time for TFG to make their move for the former Toffees star.
Earlier this month, Sky Sports published a report claiming Everton are interested in bringing the Tottenham forward back to Merseyside.
Across four campaigns as a Blues player, the 28-year-old scored 53 goals from 152 matches and was hailed by Carlo Ancelotti as a "modern and complete forward."
Richarlison's most consistent seasons all came at Goodison Park, but despite issues down N17, he's still managed to display a degree of prolificness under Ange Postecoglou's wing, having fallen by the wayside in his maiden year at the club.
It's clear he needs a fresh start, and after such interesting performances with Everton, why not bring him back to spearhead this new era? Moyes, for sure, has the gritty leadership style to bring the Brazilian back to his best.
And Richarlison isn't the only former player on the Scottish coach's radar...
Everton could sign another former star
With many out-of-contract Everton players about to move away for new pastures, Moyes is bound to target signings across numerous areas.
Defence is one such priority position, especially with Michael Keane slated to depart and James Tarkowski sidelined after tearing his hamstring.
And, according to a report from GIVEMESPORT earlier this month, Manchester City's John Stones could be the player the Merseysiders go for to instill experience and improve passing and ball retention.
Stones, 30, is one of the most decorated Englishmen of his generation, notably lifting five league titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League, and has been hailed for his "world-class" talent by Three Lions teammate Ezri Konsa, but injuries have limited him to a bit-part role for Pep Guardiola's side in recent seasons.
Everton paid just £3m to Barnsley to sign a teenage Stones back in 2013, and he would go on to feature 95 times for the club before leaving for City for a mammoth £47.5m fee.
He might not be quite at his peak anymore, but the £250k-per-week talent is not ready to hang up his Premier League boots and could be a brilliant addition to Moyes' outfit, ranking among the top 1% of defenders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goal involvements, the top 2% for pass completion, the top 4% for shot-creating actions and the top 11% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref.
Given the player's pedigree and proven talent, there's no reason why he can't go on to be Everton's most exciting signing in a very long time, perhaps not even since Richarlison left Watford after a breakout term of much promise and devoted several of his best years to the Liverpool-based outfit.