No sooner had the blue smoke started to evaporate from the air and Everton supporters headed home after a long, draining day, thoughts quickly turned to the transfer window.
Speaking after his side’s dramatic 1-0 win over Bournemouth, Sean Dyche was clear in his comments that his squad needs serious work this summer. The expectation is that some big decisions will have to be made.
And the first of those calls was confirmed on Thursday morning. To say eyebrows were raised when Everton confirmed they had decided against triggering a £4.5 million option to sign Conor Coady from Wolverhampton Wanderers would be an understatement.
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Some supporters reacting on social media were left baffled. Understandably, some others agreed with it and believed the right decision had been reached, especially given the centre-back had fallen out of favour under Dyche.
But no sooner had the news about Coady broken, Blues supporters started to think about what might be next. Dyche still has the centre-backs James Tarkowski and Michael Keane, two players he had at Burnley, plus Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate.
However, there was another name on the lips of supporters. Jarrad Branthwaite is expected to return to the club after his successful loan spell at PSV Eindhoven this summer.
The young defender has been in fine form over in the Netherlands this season. Branthwaite’s performances have been so good that a number of figures at the Dutch club have openly revealed they would love to sign the centre-back permanently.
And it appears that the England youth international would be more than happy to continue to play his football at the Philips Stadion. Just a few hours after Everton confirmed Coady’s exit, quotes emerged from the Netherlands in which Branthwaite stated he would be happy to remain at PSV.
He said: "This season has been all about my development and wanting to perform well. With my first prize and holding on to second place, I think I can be satisfied.
"I didn't make many minutes in the first half of the season, but that has also been going a lot better since the winter break. I am absolutely open to staying with PSV, but then the clubs have to work it out together."
As well as making 37 appearances for PSV this season, he also helped his side lift the KNVB Cup back in April after they beat Ajax 3-2 on penalties. The second half of the campaign has certainly vindicated his decision to move to Holland.
One of the big reasons the centre-back opted to move to PSV was because of Marcel Brands. The former Carlisle United man had faith in the ex-Everton director of football that he would be able to aid his development.
But now, as 20-year-old Branthwaite prepares to return to Finch Farm for pre-season training, he does so with questions that will need to be answered by his boss. Given all that he has achieved this season, he will not want to return to Everton to play second fiddle.
He will be returning to play on a regular basis and become a first-team player. At this point in his career, the last thing the youngster will want to be doing is sitting on the bench and only playing when needed rather than every game.
The England under-21 international clearly has bags of potential. The fact that Carlo Ancelotti had no hesitation in throwing him in his side has always spoken volumes.
Branthwaite, if reports are to be believed, has also been watched by a number of clubs this season, including Liverpool and Manchester United. And you can't help but get the feeling that if he were to depart this summer, he could end up being the one that got away. A transfer decision that could come back to haunt Everton.
However, whether Dyche would be bold and brave enough to throw the youngster in right away remains to be seen. But history suggests the Everton manager much prefers experience over youth.
Survival afforded Dyche the opportunity to speak with refreshing honesty about the problems he inherited at Goodison Park, and while the campaign isn’t even a week old, the Everton boss is already facing his first dilemma of the new season.
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