After what has generally been a quiet transfer window for Everton fans in terms of incomings, there is now much more to get excited about.
Having only brought James Tarkowski to the club on a free over the course of the month so far, the Blues have moved this week to bring two new players to the club. Ruben Vinagre was confirmed as the second addition of the summer on Wednesday afternoon, just as big updates were being revealed over the proposed third arrival.
Dwight McNeil is on the verge of a move to Merseyside after a deal was agreed with Burnley and a medical has taken place. It seems just a matter of time before the winger will be announced as a new Everton player, but what will he bring to the side?
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A lot of focus from supporters so far throughout the window has been placed on the club's need to find a new avenue after Richarlison left the club to join Tottenham Hotspur. Who will step up to replace the influence he has in the side?
From the start of the window, many have had a general consensus that the Blues couldn't find just one star to achieve that. It would likely take an outlay beyond the current financial situation of the club to bring someone of that inherent quality, so ideally there should be two players brought to the forward line
And so, judging McNeil against Richarlison becomes unfair in that sense. He's younger, he's a very different player than the outgoing Brazilian - and already a lot of focus is being placed on his record of no goals and one assist over the course of the 2021/22 campaign.
Last season was something of an outlier for McNeil in terms of his goal involvements, which had never dropped below seven in the Premier League for combined goals and assists before. There could be a host of factors behind that drop but, for now, we have to take the numbers at face value.
Despite that, however, there were still some underlying statistics that should impress Evertonians as they prepare to welcome McNeil to Goodison Park. And, it's clear to see why Frank Lampard and Kevin Thelwell were interested in the first place.
An underrated part of Richarlison's game was his defensive work from the front, and it's an aspect that fans on Merseyside love to see from a high-pressing side. And last season certainly still suggested that McNeil can live up to that.
The Burnley man was fifth in the Premier League in terms of pressures, and fifth across the top division for blocks - with the top ten in the latter of course dominated by defenders. He achieved more combined tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes than any winger Everton used throughout last term, and it was the same story in loose ball recoveries too.
But it would be unfair to only highlight his positive actions defensively. Despite the obvious numbers of goals and assists being less than impressive in 2021/22, that doesn't mean his attacking influence can be ignored.
In particular he completed a high volume of crosses into the box, and completed more passes into the final third per 90 minutes than any of his new Everton teammates. Another interesting point is that he dribbled past more players than anyone else in the Premier League last term barring only Allan Saint-Maximin.
So, even in what was considered a poor season, there are definite qualities that will impress the Blues there. If they can use him in the right manner, then he clearly has a lot of room to progress.
It's worth remembering he's still only 22, which is still a way off finding his prime. Perhaps if Everton can play him from the right flank cutting in on his stronger left foot, just as he did when scoring a fabulous goal against the Blues back in 2021, then they might see an instant improvement in terms of his creative and goalscoring output.
Regardless of whether he reaches Richarlison's numbers, though, it's likely that the Blues will still need another addition to their forward line to bring some of the qualities McNeil can't. That's no slight on the Burnley man at all, that's just a reflection on the true talent the club have lost with the Brazilian.
Judging Everton's proposed new signing against that metric wouldn't be fair, and instead the attributes the 22-year-old can bring to the club should be nurtured. Dominic Calvert-Lewin particularly will no doubt enjoy the increased crossing ability he might bring, and a more consistent delivery from set pieces might well be on the way too.
McNeil might have had an off season by his own standards last year, but that shouldn't put people off. For the right price and given the right coaching, this could prove to be a very interesting transfer.
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