There's little question that Everton's myriad supporters allowed themselves to dream of the future under David Moyes' management.
Why not? The past years have been fraught with strife, with suffering, but Farhad Moshiri has been replaced by new ownership and Sean Dyche's pragmatic tactics have been ousted in favour of Moyes' pragmatic tactics.
The difference, of course, is that Moyes' blueprint is superior. The Scottish manager lifted West Ham United from the dregs of the Premier League, led them through three successive continental campaigns, winning the Conference League in the second.
Everton manager David Moyes celebrates after the match
Relegation was a very real possibility when Moyes took over in January, but he's eliminated the club's tactical insecurities and crafted a seven-match unbeaten run in the top flight.
The 15th-place side, well above the drop zone, now need to turn toward recruitment, with incoming Director of Football Angus Kinnear tasked with overhauling a squad yielding 15 imminent contract expiries.
There's a lot of uncertainty ahead, but Everton are about to step into a new home at Bramley Moore and a few fresh faces are set to follow.
Let's take a look at how Moyes might line his team up for the 2025/26 campaign.
1 GK - Jordan Pickford
Pickford-Everton-Premier-League-Man-Utd
What is there to say? Jordan Pickford's going nowhere. England's number one, Everton's number one. He's a modern legend for the Toffees and is joint-third for clean sheets in the Premier League this season.
2 RB - Vladimir Coufal
West Ham defender Vladimir Coufal.
A pragmatic signing. But in fairness, Vladimir Coufal has lifted European gold under Moyes' wing at West Ham. The experienced right-back might be pushing mid-thirties but would be a smart addition on a free transfer, especially with Seamus Coleman and Ashley Young both into the final few months of their Everton careers.
Coufal - who has been touted with a move to Merseyside - would jockey for a starting spot with Jake O'Brien and Nathan Patterson. Rich options indeed.
3 CB - Jake O'Brien
Jake O'Brien celebrates for Everton
Let's just preface this by stating that James Tarkowski is going nowhere, but for the sake of underlining Everton's growing strength in depth, O'Brien gets the nod here.
He's been a moveless pillar of strength at right-back for Moyes in recent weeks but is most at home in the centre. Last season, at Lyon in France, journalist Zach Lowy hailed the Irishman as a "revelation in defence," words that are now beginning to ring true at Goodison Park.
4 CB - Jarrad Branthwaite
jarrad branthwaite
Brilliance comes at a price, and for Everton, that price might be £75m. Indeed, Jarrad Branthwaite has exuded quality once again this season and has reentered transfer discussion as the summer window looms large.
Everton's star defender is on Manchester United's radar and is sure to attract attention from other high-profile clubs, but Moyes and Kinnear must fight tirelessly to ensure he remains on Merseyside for the coming campaign.
5 LB - Vitalii Mykolenko
Mykolenko
Vitalii Mykolenko divides opinion somewhat but has been a mainstay for Everton this season, hitting the third-most amount of minutes (2,544) for Everton in the Premier League this season, behind Pickford and Tarkowski.
6 DM - Idrissa Gueye
Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye
Idrissa Gueye is among the raft of Everton stars nearing the end of their Blue deals. Despite his twilight age of 35, the Senegalese's performances suggest he deserves an extension.
Premier League 24/25 - Top Tacklers
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The evergreen ace is still a player of value, and could be a priceless part of Moyes' Everton squad next term.
7 CM - James Garner
Everton midfielder James Garner
Industrious and perhaps underrated, James Garner has well and truly established himself in Moyes' system, starting Everton's past seven Premier League matches.
With a shrewd eye for the technical side of the game, Garner will no doubt be expecting to retain his starting berth next term, a neat counterpoint to the tough-tackling Gueye.
8 AM - Iliman Ndiaye
Ndiaye-Everton
Everton's magic man. Sighted in first-team training ahead of next week's Merseyside derby, the injured Iliman Ndiaye has been a remarkable signing for Everton, joining from Marseille for £15m last summer.
Suitors are sure to sniff around for this exciting talent, who has scored eight goals this season and carries a "dynamite" quality that will take some topping no matter the success of Everton's summer activity.
9 RW - Tom Fellows
tom-fellows-west-brom
Jesper Lindstrom and Jack Harrison are both on loan and perhaps haven't played well enough across the campaign to deserve permanent contracts at Bramley Moore. Thus, Tom Fellows could find himself playing first-team football for Everton next season.
The West Bromwich Albion talent, only 21, has racked up 11 assists in the Championship this year and has been tracked by Everton for a while now, with Football Insider recently confirming the Merseysiders are 'well-placed' to complete a summer deal.
Ousmane-Dembele-PSG
His pace, power and acceleration have even led talent scout Jacek Kulig to hail him as the next version of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Ousmane Dembele, who has been in incredible form this season, scoring 30 goals from 37 appearances.
10 LW - Dwight McNeil
Dwight McNeil for Everton
Yet to taste football with Moyes at the helm, Dwight McNeil's blistering start to the 2024/25 season was blighted by an injury picked up in December.
Even so, he's a magical technician and a tireless competitor besides. It's exciting to think of the link-up play that could be forged between him and Ndiaye.
11 CF - Hamza Igamane
Hamza-Igamane-Rangers
To complete the line-up Everton will look to close a deal for Rangers striker Hamza Igamane. TEAMtalk have recently reported that the Toffees are leading the race for the 22-year-old, who is valued at £20m.
Beto has been in fine form this season, but Igamane, who has 14 goals across all competitions this term (including four in the Europa League) could be a long-term solution for Moyes' Everton.
It's necessary to sign an exciting new striker such as he; after all, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is approaching the end of his contract, and with just three goals and more injuries to his name this term, it's probably for the best that the 27-year-old is finally cut loose.
Everton's dream XI in full: (GK) Jordan Pickford; (RB) Vladimir Coufal, (CB) Jake O'Brien, (CB) James Tarkowski, (LB) Vitalii Mykolenko; (DM) Idrissa Gueye, (CM) James Garner, (AM) Iliman Ndiaye; (RW) Tom Fellows, (LW) Dwight McNeil, (CF) Hamza Igamane
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