Everton haven't quite been at the races in recent Premier League matches as the Toffees' bright start to the season has come unstuck.
Indeed, two frustrating home draws to Aston Villa and West Ham United recently will not be what the Hill Dickinson Stadium masses would have wanted to see from their free-flowing side, as not even Jack Grealish or Iliman Ndiaye could inspire a winning performance on either occasion.
Everton manager David Moyes
Defeats in the Merseyside Derby and in the EFL Cup will have also given David Moyes plenty of food for thought as to what he should change in the coming matches to turn around this sticky patch of form.
In an ideal reality, Moyes would love to be able to call upon Jarrod Bowen again to boost his exciting attacking personnel on Merseyside, with the England international a dependable performer for the Scotsman throughout his two Hammers stints.
Moyes' close relationship with Jarrod Bowen
Of course, Moyes is blessed in the attacking department when it comes to either flank, with Grealish on four assists already this campaign, while Ndiaye has been among the goals this season as well.
Still, when Bowen smashed home this fantastic effort to level the tie on Monday night, his ex-Hammers boss would have been irritated that he didn't have him at his disposal anymore.
Bowen's record under Moyes
Stat
Games played
Goals scored
Assists
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Moyes' long reign at the London Stadium saw Bowen pick up goals and assists by the bucket-load, with the West Ham captain managing to tally up a staggering 101 goals and assists from 202 games under the Glaswegian's watchful eye.
It's early days, but Ndiaye will hope he can - one day - be a similar Bowen-style figure for the 62-year-old, with 14 goal contributions already next to his name on Merseyside when regularly deployed down the former Hull City man's trusty right-hand side.
Moyes-Bowen-Ward-Prowse-West-Ham
Grealish will also be taken aback by the idea as he searches for a club where he can achieve similar long-term success, away from the anxiety of first-team minutes drying up at the Etihad.
But, it could be that Everton have discarded Moyes' next iteration of Bowen already when letting his homegrown ace depart the building in 2023 for a whopping £45m.
Why Everton must regret selling Bowen 2.0
At the time, the Toffees would have felt that cashing in on the hit-and-miss attacker in question was the best outcome for all involved, with the Merseyside prodigy calling for a move away from his boyhood employers.
That doesn't mean they can't be pained by what Anthony Gordon has turned into since moving on from the blue half of Liverpool, however, with the 24-year-old going on to become a Champions League-level performer with Newcastle United, alongside being called up to the same Three Lions camps that Bowen has been involved with off the back of his blistering form.
Gordon's record with Newcastle
Stat
Games played
Goals scored
Assists
Trophies won
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Gordon would never quite sparkle fully into life in the senior picture at Everton, with just seven goals and eight assists coming his way. But, much like Bowen found with the Hammers, the Liverpool-born winger found St James' Park to be an instantly welcoming fit, with a sublime 46 goal contributions and counting next to his name now on Tyneside.
This sharp upturn in form has led to various voices waxing lyrical about the former Everton number ten, with Jamie Carragher even hailing Gordon as "one of the best players in the Premier League" when strutting his stuff with the Magpies back in 2023.
Anthony Gordon celebrates for Newcastle
Bowen, of course, has been exposed to similarly outlandish praise, with TNT Sports commentator Adam Summerton even declaring that the 17-time Three Lions international was "one of the best signings in West Ham's modern history" earlier this year.
Moyes would have loved to have unearthed this side from Gordon at his boyhood club if he stayed put - securing himself another Bowen-like presence in the process - but the 24-year-old's tale in the Premier League unfortunately only has Everton in its opening chapter.
It feels like a lifetime ago since Gordon was putting away chances like this for his boyhood club, but Moyes won't curse too much about the decision to offload the Magpies' number ten, knowing he can get a tune out of Grealish and Ndiaye, even if there are bumps in the road to overcome.