Everton enjoyed a summer of vast change, in which Frank Lampard was entrusted with overseeing one of the club’s most important summer windows.
Having sold their talisman for a mouth-watering £60m, the departure of Richarlison offered vital funds with which they could rebuild their entire squad.
It was hoped that this overhaul would ensure relegation was never a worry again, yet as of mid-March the Toffees once again find themselves entrenched in a battle for survival.
The midfield was the main focus for the former Chelsea and Derby County boss, who sought to transform an area which had looked threadbare and lacking quality in recent years.
James Garner, Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye were all expected to thrive, with the latter enjoying a romantic return to the club he had left just three years earlier.
However, it is now he who would likely be the first to be dropped, should they be able to welcome an attacking asset into that role much like that of Mikel Arteta during his playing days.
How did Mikel Arteta play whilst at Everton?
The Spaniard first moved to Merseyside from Scottish giants Rangers, where he had enjoyed varying success.
However, by the 2006/07 campaign, he would have already established himself as a mainstay in David Moyes’ team and one of the Premier League’s most impressive central midfielders.
That campaign arguably saw him reach his peak, as he notched nine goals and supplied a further nine assists whilst the club qualified for Europe.
This was not the only time they would find themselves in European competition, as across his seven-year spell at Goodison Park they would finish inside the top seven five times, finishing fourth once too.
His ability to dictate the tempo of a game was often mesmeric, yet he had a knack for showing up in the right places to finish from long or close range. Arteta truly had it all, which was outlined in his 35 goals and 37 assists across 209 outings for the club.
A move to Arsenal would see these numbers wane somewhat, as journalist Ronan Mullen suggested: “He’s actually more of an Everton legend if anything”.
To look at the current squad that Sean Dyche now has at his disposal, they are clearly lacking goals from up front but also midfield. When combining the goalscoring exploits of all the central midfielders from this season, they boast a combined tally of just two.
Gueye in particular contributes next to nothing offensively, yet this season has announced himself as something of a liability too. He has already made three errors that have led to a goal.
To replace him with a prime Arteta would surely complete the perfect Everton midfield, which could have the potential to save them again this season.
