It was crucial that Everton put the brakes on their season for a third time with a win. And win the Toffees did. The Hill Dickinson returned to form as David Moyes oversaw a professional victory over Fulham in the Premier League.
The 2-0 win marked the end of a three-match winless run for Everton, lifting them to 11th in the standings. It's all rather congested in the middle of the table right now, but Everton know they need to make improvements if they wish to beat off mid-table competition and push for a place in the top half.
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And it's becoming apparent that external solutions will be needed, thus turning our attention toward the looming January transfer window.
Where Everton are looking to strengthen
Everton's winter transfer plans are currently rather nebulous, but that's only natural given there is still a month and a half until the January market opens for business.
What is clear is that Moyes will be looking to strengthen, and the Friedkin Group are ready to back him in this endeavour. More detailed plans might be unknown, but it's obvious that the Toffees will look to sign a striker, with Beto and £27m summer recruit Thierno Barry both toiling this term, one goal between them in the Premier League.
Were the Merseysiders playing their football with a reliable bagsman at number nine, it would not be unreasonable to suggest that European contention would already be a conversation.
That could still be the case, with a few tweaks. It's not just up top where Everton need to remedy their tactical creases. Both full-back berths have been focus points of criticism this season, with Jake O'Brien industrious at right-back but out of position nonetheless, naturally a centre-back.
Jake O'Brien in action for Everton
Jake O'Brien in action for Everton
Let's have a look at how Everton could shape up after a window of dealings.
Moyes' dream XI after January
Jordan Pickford will, of course, remain between the sticks for Everton, having extended until 2029 last month.
The return of Jarrad Branthwaite to fitness will also feel like a new signing for side who have had to make do at the rear this term. Praise must be placed at Michael Keane's feet, the English defender having completed a U-turn before the end of last season, signing a new deal and starting every Premier League match of the campaign.
Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite in action
It is indeed the wide defenders who need changing, and Everton could act on their interest in Sevilla's Juanlu Sanchez, with an October report suggesting the Blues have prepared a £17m bid ahead of January.
Sanchez, 23, is a powerful and balanced player, and in La Liga this season, he ranks among the top 14% of positional peers for progressive carries and the top 16% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
This would be an interesting deal to add width and dynamism down Everton's right side, but it could be a move that is overshadowed by a loan bid for Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Lewis-Skelly's reduced role in Mikel Arteta's title-challenging team this season is not a reflection of his skillset but an emphasis on the Gunners' remarkable rise in recent years. The 19-year-old was very much a part of that last year, his performances leading The Athletic's Aaron Catterson-Reid to describe him as a "£100m footballer".
Arteta has yet to name the prospect from the opening in the top flight this season, and this has given rise to chatter about a winter loan move. A number of unnamed Premier League clubs are monitoring the situation, and it's more than likely that Everton are among that mix.
Such additions would have a marked impact on Everton's prospects this season, giving Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish more freedom and security on the attacking wings. Grealish is only a loanee himself, but there are hopes that a permanent deal can be engineered in 2026.
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That leaves the big one. One of Beto or Barry could leave the Hill Dickinson this winter, especially when Everton have shown signs of interest in Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney, who left the Premier League for Saudi Arabia in 2024.
Toney, 29, is one of England's most talented and dangerous marksmen, and he had been coveted by Chelsea last summer, before the stars aligned for a big pay packet overseas.
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The Athletic have confirmed that the former Brentford man is a player of interest heading into the January market, albeit with a host of complications relating to finances and the thick competition for such a signature at the season's midpoint.
This would be an ambitious move, but one which could pay off handsomely if the Merseyside club play their cards right. The £30m-rated Toney, after all, is intrigued by the possibility of returning to his homeland ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Instrumental in propping the Gtech up in the Premier League, Toney was described by Thomas Frank as being a "monster" of a striker, not only deadly in front of goal but dynamic and intelligent too.
Ivan Toney's Premier League Career
Season
25/26
24/25
23/24
Data via Transfermarkt
It won't be easy, wrestling the £400k-per-week Three Lions star from the Gulf region and beating the inevitable competition for his signature, but Everton need a striker, and Moyes may just canvass a compelling proposal to the proven Premier League star.
We can say without question that Everton have enjoyed an upswing in results and performances since Moyes replaced Sean Dyche at the helm. But Everton need more. There's a bluntness to the squad's attack, and by reenergising the widths and placing a robust and hungry option at the focal front point, Moyes might just pull off another special success.