Everton's resounding victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers left Sean Dyche feeling like a weight had been lifted from his back. But truthfully, perhaps it's just showcasing a side to this Toffees team that is scarcely on offer under the former Burnley boss' rule.
Keeping it short-term, Everton kept a clean sheet, enjoyed a romping scoreline and added three invaluable points to their Premier League tally, taking them to 15th with 14 points, which is a five-point buffer over endangered Ipswich Town.
Everton-Mangala-Premier-League
Dyche's days seem numbered though, and while his side stood firm against the rusty Old Gold, there are still some concerns at the rear, for sure.
Everton's defensive issues
Last season, Everton finished 15th in the Premier League with 40 points, though they had eight points taken from them due to breaching financial rules.
Premier League 23/24 - Most Clean Sheets
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Stats via Statmuse
This season, the Merseysiders haven't had the same sheen, having conceded 21 goals from 14 matches, which isn't the worst rate in the division but still pretty alarming when the goals are hardly coming either (Wolves thrashing notwithstanding).
With The Friedkin Group ready to complete a takeover from Iranian businessman Farhad Moshiri, it's clear that an overhaul is going to be needed - both in the dugout and out on the grass. Several players have already been earmarked for departure, Michael Keane chief among them.
It's perhaps telling that despite Jarrad Branthwaite's likely high-priced transfer, surely arriving at some point in the not-too-distant future, has not changed the conversation around Keane.
And again, James Tarkowski is ageing and starting to show signs of splintering, having been lambasted for his "embarrassing" defensive display against Manchester United last week.
All this considered, Keane is still very much expendable and must be sold in January.
Everton must sell Michael Keane
Everton signed Keane from Burnley in 2017 for a fee rising to £30m, with Ronald Koeman, Everton boss at the time, saying that he was "delighted" to have got the deal over the line:
"Michael was high among the players we wanted to bring to Everton this summer and I'm delighted he is here," said Koeman.
"We knew there would be competition from other clubs but Michael believes in the ambition of Everton and what we want to do and this is the perfect moment for him to come."
Michael Keane for Everton
He's not really lived up to the price tag. Before signing, Gary Lineker hailed the centre-half's "assured and impressive start" on his England debut, but since he's "always struggling", according to talkSPORT's Perry Groves, for Everton, that success doesn't do much for the irked Toffees fanbase.
According to various outlets, such as Football Insider, the Toffees are preparing to sell Keane after years of inconsistencies and frustration.
Michael-Keane-Everton
With the 32-year-old playing out the final year of his £80k-per-week contract, it's understood that he will engage in negotiations with clubs from overseas - namely Italy's Serie A and Major League Soccer over the pond - but is it worth TFG considering a winter sale.
Everton are not the richest outfit in the Premier League by half, but after a mostly uninspired start to the campaign, would be wise to dip their toes into the transfer pool ahead of a charge toward top-flight security over the coming months.
He's notoriously effective in the final third, ranking among the top 1% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored per 90, as per FBref, but this is hardly his most important responsibility.
And such quality suffers a negation when noting that he has lost 57% of his ground duels in the Premier League this term, as per Sofascore, which is hardly the level of security that Dyche will want as he looks to stave off the threat of relegation.
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TFG might not claim much for his sale, but who knows, perhaps it will open up the door for a fresh venture. We all know it's needed.
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The Everton ace could have a big impact against Wolves