There was a brief spell at the start of the 2020-21 season when Everton looked to have found an antidote for their chronic midfield woes.
Summer signings Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure joined Andre Gomes as part of a midfield trio for the season opener at Tottenham Hotspur. They, along with James Rodriguez sashaying in from the right flank, controlled that area of the field in a manner unfamiliar to Evertonians. The Blues won 1-0 that day and it was striking how well that newly-formed triumvirate functioned.
Allan provided an effective shield in front of the defence, Doucoure offered the box-to-box thrust and Gomes carried an air of composure from his spot on the left of the three.
Concerns about the age and fitness records of the players acquired that summer were pushed to the back of minds as Everton embarked on a thrilling start to the campaign. But sadly, as the attritional grind of the Premier League got going, the Toffees' new midfield setup stalled - James, Allan, Doucoure and Gomes all suffered with injury issues that season.
READ MORE: Alex Iwobi's significant Everton improvement in numbers as Frank Lampard unlocks potential
READ MORE: Anwar El Ghazi's Everton journey from Rafa Benitez's 'win-win' transfer to forgotten man
It meant Everton's midfield problems persisted and they still remain unresolved. It now also means that as the Toffees go into another summer transfer window, the centre of the pitch is a priority position to strengthen. Again.
That in itself is remarkable given the amounts invested in midfielders. After all, in the summer of 2019 the Toffees also added three central midfielders, with Gomes making his loan move permanent for £22 million, Jean-Philippe Gbamin coming in for £25 million and veteran Fabian Delph brought in for £8 million.
Factor in the £42 million Doucoure (£20 million) and Allan (£22 million) cost the Toffees, a significant portion of Everton's misspent outlay in recent years has been sucked into the midfield void.
The unenviable task of successfully improving the position will now fall on manager Frank Lampard and director of football Kevin Thelwell. And it could get harder for them yet.
Allan, now 31, has been linked with a move back to Serie A and seemingly fell out of favour towards the end of the season, while Delph appears unlikely to get a new contract - despite some encouraging sporadic displays during the relegation scrap, he remains besieged by injury problems.
Elsewhere, Gomes was hooked at half time against Crystal Palace and now sadly lacks the physical qualities to be a Premier League player. And for Gbamin, despite making 11 appearances on loan at CSKA Moscow since January, it feels like a long way back to become a Premier League regular after his injury own nightmares.
It would be no shock if all of the aforementioned quartet departed before the 2022-23 season gets underway as a result.
Tom Davies also finds himself in a tricky position, having missed a large chunk of the previous term due to a serious hamstring problem.
Even Doucoure, who is Everton's most dependable and rounded central midfielder, has suffered fluctuations in form after a strong start to the term. At 29, there also doubts as to whether he can be a long-term piece in a midfield rebuild.
Lampard, as one of the finest midfielders to ever play the game, will obviously know what's required to thrive in the role and will have ideas about what he wants from those figures who man the hub of the team.
But perhaps even he will look at Everton's current crop in his old position and wonder where to start, because the attributes needed to be a strong central-midfield operator in the Premier League - consistency, tenacity, durability and creativity to name a few - are in short supply.
For Everton, it's unlikely a player will be available or affordable this summer who has all of these qualities in their skill set. It means that Lampard and Thelwell will need to find a couple of new faces - at least - that can give the Blues the balance, not to mention strength in depth when injuries inevitably strike.
There are some small positives to cling to in central midfield ahead of the summer. Alex Iwobi showed glimpses of quality when deployed as part of a central trio during the run-in, although he was moved to the wing-back role later in the campaign.
It is hoped there will be more to come from Dele Alli next season too, but despite his excellent showing as a substitute against Crystal Palace there are still plenty of doubters to convince.
Lewis Warrington may also be closer to the first-team setup, after he impressed on loan at Tranmere Rovers last term and signed a new contract this week.
But capable new faces will still need to come in if Everton are to be frequently competitive in midfield battles in English football's top flight. At the moment they aren't capable of out-passing or out-running many opponents.
Finding the right profile of player will be tough for the recruitment team, especially given the club's ongoing financial battles. But they cannot fall back into bad old habits, as recent history has brutally shown the Blues that quick fixes don't tend to last very long.
