Everton's training centre, Finch Farm, in the sunlight
Everton's training centre, Finch Farm, in the sunlight
Everton have faced criticism over some of their transfer decisions in recent times.
This year's summer window saw many fans far from happy with how it was handled.
Players like Iliman Ndiaye and Beto were allowed to leave in the final hours of the window and weren't replaced.
Meanwhile, the proposed sale of Harrison Armstrong to Nottingham Forest was met with fan protests, forcing The Friedkin Group to alter their stance.
So far, the summer's transfer signings class have largely not had the impact David Moyes would've been hoping for.
But there's more than one way to bring first-team starts to Hill Dickinson Stadium, and it can start at youth level.
What has Everton academy director Dean Rastrick said about transfer policy?
This summer saw a transfer made at backroom level at Everton, and it looks set to be a highly important one for the long-term.
Dean Rastrick was made the Toffees' new academy director, placing him in charge of the direction of Everton's admired youth system.
Speaking via The Athletic, he's already got a clear vision of what Everton should be doing regarding bringing talent to Finch Farm.
"But Everton should be looking at the 16-18-year-olds that are breaking into people’s first teams," he said.
"That’s an area we’re developing and will put more resources into. There’s an incredible history of that here, Jarrad (Branthwaite) being a prime example.
"In a very, very heavily scouted market, where are those? There won’t be an abundance of them; there’ll be one or two."
Finding a Branthwaite, who joined Everton from Carlisle United in 2020, isn't easy: if it was, every club would be doing it.
So, which of Everton's current youth crop look most likely to break into the first-team soon enough?
Everton could have left-back competition on the way
So far this season, we've already seen Harrison Armstrong shining in the first-team, whilst Braiden Graham is sniffing around Moyes' squad too.
Everton's Under-21s are going fairly well in Premier League 2 this season, losing just one of their opening six games.
A big part of that has been 20-year-old left-back Ezra Carrington, who has established himself as one of the U-21's standout players.
The England youth international looks to have a good chance of pushing Vitalii Mykolenko in a backup role soon enough.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old centre-back John Dodds and versatile 18-year-old central midfielder Melvin Matos are both very exciting talents to keep an eye on too.
There's nothing better for supporters than seeing some of the club's own coming through the academy before starring in the first-team.
So, with Everton still struggling to find consistency in the transfer market, putting more of an emphasis on youth promotion could be wise.