Obviously he could alleviate that somewhat by letting players go, with Leighton Baines and Joleon Lescott rumoured to be targets for Newcastle and Manchester City respectively.

Lescott’s not had the best of seasons, especially by the high standards he’s set for himself, but he still has the potential to be an outstanding performer and it would be disappointing to see him leave – he’s exactly that sort of young, athletic player that we want to see the team built around as we move forward.

If City are serious though, and really offer £10million, will Everton be in any position to resist?

Baines is a different matter altogether – the ex-Wigan Athletic left-back represents one of Everton’s great modern mysteries.

It seemed as if everyone wanted him when he left the JJB, where the fans loved him, and Evertonians were pleased to be getting a player touted as the future England left-back.

For various reasons it just hasn’t worked out for him at Goodison so far though and it would surprise few people if he ended up looking for a fresh start somewhere else.

Even if that does prove the best move for all parties involved, it will still be a bit sad to see a local lad leave without ever making the impact that everyone desperately wanted him to.