It's the start of a new era for Everton, in more ways than one.
Having waved goodbye to Goodison Park, their home since 1892, the Toffees will call Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock home from now on.
Their first match there will be a pre-season friendly against Roma on 9 August, before beginning their home Premier League campaign against Brighton & Hove Albion a fortnight later.
everton-bramley-moore
Meantime, in terms of the playing squad, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has departed as a free agent after making 273 appearances for the Blues, while it was confirmed on Wednesday that star centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite has signed a new five-year contract, which is a massive boost for David Moyes and his team.
So now, could their first new arrival of the summer be imminent?
Everton seeking more attacking firepower
With Calvert-Lewin having now departed, Mark Douglas of the i Paper is reporting that Everton are 'close' to signing Villarreal striker Thierno Barry for £27.5m.
The 22 year old Frenchman only joined el Submarino Amarillo from Basel just 12 months ago, but scored 11 goals in La Liga last season, with Beth Limb of Total Football Analysis praising his physical presence, noting that Barry 'often towers' above defenders, adding that he also 'possesses some excellent off-the-ball movement'.
However, he is not the only striker on the Toffees' radar because, as reported by Football Insider, the Blues are interested in signing Evan Ferguson.
They add that Brighton are looking to move on the Republic of Ireland international permanently this summer, placing a £28m price tag on his head, with Fulham and Nottingham Forest, as well as a few 'leading European sides', also monitoring the situation.
Ferguson has just endured a nightmarish loan spell at West Ham, seeing only eight appearances for the Irons after making the switch in January, starting only once, totalling a miserly 151 minutes.
This has seen his valuation plummet, so could a move to Merseyside revitalise his career?
Why Evan Ferguson would be a better signing than Thierno Barry
At the peak of his powers about two years ago, Evan Ferguson was one of the hottest prospects in world football.
His hat-trick against Newcastle in September 2023 made him the fourth-youngest player to bag a Premier League treble, behind only Chris Bart-Williams, Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler.
Then-Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker even asserted that "I do see a hint of [Erling] Haaland about him".
However, since then, Ferguson has scored just three club goals, enduring a 336-day goal drought before netting his most recent goal against Wolves in October, with Andy Naylor of the Athletic believing that injuries have massively hampered his development.
Nevertheless, Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout still believes, at just 20 years old, he is a "big talent", so let's assess how he compares to Barry.
Evan Ferguson vs Thierno Barry season-by-season comparison
Evan Ferguson
Season
2024/25
West Ham|541|1|Zero|
|2023/24|Brighton|1,721|6|2|
|2022/23|Brighton|1,345|10|3|
|Thierno Barry|
|2024/25|Villarreal|2,441|11|4|
|2023/24|Basel|2,520|12|5|
|2022/23|Beveren|2.522|20|4|
|All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt|
As the table outlines, while Barry's raw statistics are more impressive, Ferguson possesses vastly more elite-level experience.
thierno-barry-villarreal
As recently as 2022/23, Barry was representing Beveren in the Belgian second-tier before his big breakthrough came with FC Basel, scoring 14 Swiss Super League goals for the RotBlau, but doing so in the 21st strongest division in the world, according to Global Football Rankings.
Barry was away with France at the U21 Euros last month, bagging the winner against Georgia in the 12th minute of injury time at Štadión pod Dubňom in Žilina, but was not a regular starter for Gérald Baticle's side, as les Bleuets reached the semi-finals.
Ferguson, on the other hand, is a fully-fledged Ireland international, scoring five times for the Boys in Green to date, albeit, admittedly, Heimir Hallgrímsson does have slightly less talent at his disposal than Didier Deschamps.
Evan Ferguson Brighton
Nevertheless, it is clear that Ferguson has a higher ceiling than Barry, it is simply about rediscovering his potential from the Irishman's point of view, so could he achieve this in an Everton shirt?
He's certainly worth the gamble.
dominic-calvert-lewin-everton-premier-league Related
Calvert-Lewin upgrade: Everton advancing in talks to sign £34m striker
Everton are edging closer to signing a La Liga forward