Transfer speculation and learning lessons from last season have been the key topics of conversation for Everton players since the squad broke for summer.
Several have offered an insight into their mindsets as rumours swirl and Frank Lampard plots the next stage of his Blues reign. While most senior players are taking a break after a gruelling campaign some - including Richarlison and Seamus Coleman - have joined up with their national sides. And for those still in the media spotlight, attention has focused on the relegation battle and what happens next.
Others have taken to social media or spoken with the club's website about their ambitions for the future - from departing Everton to setting their sights on becoming stronger and more influential next year.
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Richarlison has been the subject of the most intense speculation after the Brazil star played a crucial role in helping Everton survive the drop. Currently on international duty, the 25-year-old opened the scoring in a 5-1 win over South Korea last week then won the decisive penalty in a 1-0 victory over Japan on Monday. As he joined the Brazil squad he was asked about his future and gave a response that was largely non-committal, but which did reveal he had spoken to Lampard and the board before the international games.
He told Globo Esporte: “I’ve already made it clear to the board, I’ve already talked to Lampard too, with my agents and they know what I want. Let’s wait for June. Now I can’t talk, because when we talk about leaving a club I’m kind of like this, because of the history I have at Everton, the affection that the fans have for me, when we talk about leaving I’m a little speechless."
Seven days into June no further light has been shed on his situation, though the discussions Richarlison referred to should at least mean the Blues are prepared for whatever happens next.
Another Brazil player whose future at Everton has been questioned is Allan. He has one year left on his contract and played a limited role in the final games of last season due to injury. The 31-year-old worked with Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri at Napoli and Sarri has been rumoured to be interested in a reunion. However, Allan appeared to rule that out recently, reportedly saying: "I think my professional destiny will remain unchanged. I'll stay at Everton, as far as I know: I'm fine in England."
Salomon Rondon is another squad player whose future has attracted scrutiny. He proved to be a useful nuisance through several substitute cameos as Everton fought for survival. But he has struggled to add goals to his performances, securing just once in the Premier League since his arrival last summer.
Speaking of his future, he also suggested it lay on Merseyside, telling Bolavip : "I’m in good shape physically and I’m ready to continue at the highest level. I have one more year on my contract with Everton but I want to continue competing, I want to continue being important."
Cenk Tosun struggled to make an impact during his four and a half years with the Blues. Like Gylfi Sigurdsson, Fabian Delph, Andy Lonergan and Jonjoe Kenny, Tosun is out of contract this summer. He is the only one of those players to publicly announce his next step - confirming his departure.
Tosun wrote on Instagram: "Dear Blue Family, I had a great four and a half years as a member of your family with ups and downs and now unfortunately it is time to say goodbye. I would like to thank my coaches, teammates, staff, board members, and the chairman I had worked with.
"And of course, I would like to thank our fans! I loved it to be an Evertonian and I will always be an Evertonian. I have nothing but love for this club! This club has so much potential and I am sure soon Everton will have better days and when the day comes I will be celebrating as well. Take care."
Supporters will find out who else will be leaving this week when Everton announces its retained list. Of the players to have spoken out since the end of the season, not all have focused on transfer gossip. A second key topic has been on the importance of learning from the struggles of last season in the hope of preventing the Blues from sliding into a second consecutive relegation battle.
Reflecting on last season from a personal and team perspective, Ben Godfrey told the Everton website "we were definitely a shadow of what we’re capable of". He has insisted the season "will be a massive learning curve for a lot of us and I think we’ll be able to take a lot from it".
Godfrey highlighted the role of Lampard and his coaching staff, adding: “He’s spent a lot of time speaking to me and helping me where he can, and that goes for all of his staff too. There’s not a lot of other people that I’d rather have to get that (advice), to be honest. I’m really fortunate to be working with him.”
Nathan Patterson who, like Godfrey, had the later part of his season blighted by injury, is also focusing on coming back stronger. Currently away with Scotland, he said this week: "I always want to impress any time you step onto the pitch, for my national team and Everton as well. Every time I step on the pitch I try and show what I can do, and hopefully I'll impress people. I've worked with the sports scientists and physios at Everton closely, making sure I'm ready when I come back on the pitch to be stronger. We've obviously worked on stuff that I've been more weak on, just to improve. I've been working really hard, for about five or six weeks just battering the gym and trying to progress myself on the pitch, which will benefit me later on in my career as well."
Meanwhile, Coleman, on duty with the Republic of Ireland, has praised Everton supporters and - like Godfrey - stressed the importance of making sure the lessons of last season are not forgotten : "They played a massive part in maybe letting some people who were at the club and play for the club actually understand how big the football club is and how much it means to the people of that city.
"I think that maybe hit home for some of the players. You can do all the talks you want, but when you see that emotion in the faces of grown men, grown women and children when you leave the training ground singing Everton songs with such passion, if that doesn’t touch something with a group of players, I don’t know what will.
"Listen it was a stressful season, it’s part of the job. It’s not exactly what we wanted at the start of the season, but we found a way and we’ve just got to make sure as a club, as a whole, every single one of us involved in Everton Football Club learns from this."
