A new stadium isn't the only freshened-up feature that Everton fans are looking forward to this season: David Moyes has also been busy sprucing his squad with new quality, shipping out the old.
Everton start their Premier League campaign with a trip to newly-promoted Leeds United on Monday evening, with the curtain-raising fixture sure to give the club a demonstration of the new and a reminder of the old. Dominic Calvert-Lewin may feature up front for the Whites, after all.
Everton manager David Moyes before the match
Everton manager David Moyes before the match
However, in his old Toffees place, Thierno Barry will be looking to put down a marker and steer his side toward victory at Elland Road, having joined from Villarreal in the summer for an initial £27m fee.
The likes of Jack Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Carlos Alcaraz, no longer a loanee, have shored up the midfield following the exodus at the end of the 2024/25 season. Elsewhere, 19-year-old Adam Aznou adds depth and versatility to the defence.
But with Jarrad Branthwaite currently sidelined, Everton's lack of depth at the back is accentuated.
Everton need a right-back
With Ashley Young now plying his trade for Ipswich Town in the Championship and Seamus Coleman playing only 11 minutes during Everton's pre-season fixture against Roma, Everton desperately need a bit more quality and quantity at the rear.
Everton manager David Moyes
Everton manager David Moyes
Not least because Vitalii Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson are both considered doubts ahead of Monday evening's clash at Leeds.
But with Branthwaite anticipated to be sidelined for the foreseeable future with a hamstring injury, it's possible that Jake O'Brien reverts to his natural central berth alongside James Tarkowski, having featured prominently as a makeshift right-back under Moyes' wing last year, to a great effect.
It's clear, then, that Everton could do with a versatile defender to complete the set, one who could operate across different areas seamlessly, adding defensive strength and technical skill.
What Everton need is their next John Stones, and they might just have found him in an up-and-coming Premier League talent.
Everton in talks to sign Premier League star
According to transfer insider Graeme Bailey, Everton have joined a host of their Premier League rivals in chasing a deal for Manchester City's Rico Lewis this month.
rico-lewis-nottingham-forest-man-city-premier-league
It's understood that Lewis, 20, is open to leaving the Etihad Stadium as he searches for regular first-team minutes, and that Everton, along with the likes of Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur, have been in contact with intermediaries relevant to the situation.
Valued in the ballpark of £26m, Forest have already seen an initial offer rejected, so Everton and the Friedkin Group will need to work swiftly if they hope to seal his signature.
Why Everton want Rico Lewis
Lewis was handed a starting berth at Molineux on Saturday evening, keeping a clean sheet and claiming an assist from right-back as Man City defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 in the Premier League.
Rico Lewis
Already, the versatile talent has played 95 matches for Man City, scoring five goals and registering ten assists. In spite of his limited match action, Pep Guardiola has described him as "one of the best I've ever trained" and as a "special" talent; high praise indeed.
But the Spanish tactician also prefers to work with a small squad, and so Lewis is available for transfer. Everton could now take advantage, landing their next version of Stones by doing so.
akanji-gundogan-stones-man-city
Stones fell just shy of a century of appearances for the Toffees before earning his big-money move to Manchester, playing 95 times all told.
One of the most talented defenders of his generation, Stones started his top-flight career with the Blues, who didn't enjoy him at his peak but got a taste of his elite quality.
Three Lions teammate Ezri Konsa has since hailed the 31-year-old as being a "world-class" player, and it's hard to disagree. Stones' genius footballing IQ and his incredible dynamism across many positions make him the prototypical 'Pep Guardiola player', with injuries the biggest drawback of an illustrious career.
Though he's young and bears limited experience, Lewis could emulate his countryman, only travelling the opposite lane down the M62.
Lewis vs Wolves
Minutes played
Goals
Assists
Distance covered
Touches
Accurate passes
Key passes
Dribbles
Tackles + interceptions
Clearances
Duels won
Data via Sofascore
Praised post-match for his all-encompassing performance by The Manchester Evening News, who awarded him an 8/10 game rating, Lewis demonstrated the kind of technical control, creativity and combativeness to thrive as one of the standout players in the Premier League over the coming years, and it's an opportunity Moyes cannot afford to pass up.
Further statistical analysis opens up a wider understanding of what makes this rising prospect so special. As per data-driven site FBref, Lewis ranks among the top 1% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 12% for passes attempted, the top 8% for progressive passes and the top 4% for through balls per 90.
With his remarkable ball-playing capacity underscored, Lewis is patently a talent who could rival Stones in the years to come, especially as he has made 25 senior Citizen appearances in midfield too, underscoring his versatility and how his slick passing game and steely nature lend themselves to an all-important anchoring role.
Manchester City's Rico Lewis in action with Paris St Germain's Achraf Hakimi
Manchester City's Rico Lewis in action with Paris St Germain's Achraf Hakimi
It's something that Stones has performed with aplomb through the latter stages of his remarkable career. Everton lost their young prodigy before he could bloom into the player he became, but in Lewis, they could strike back, landing Moyes a superstar in the making.