It took less than a week for Everton's new director of football, Marcel Brands, to decide that the bulk of the work done by his predecessors was simply not up to scratch.
"First of all we need to offload players to raise money [to spend], and also salary-wise," he told the Guardian. "But it’s not only a money thing. Of course money is important but also, for a coach, it is not workable to start with 38 players in your squad. We have to look for a squad Marco can work with and I think there always has to be space for young players to come to the first team.
“That has to be, let’s say, 25-30 players. Now there are 38 and a lot are not young any more. They are players who have arrived. We have to be honest when we take the decision with these players. Do they have prospects here at Everton? Some of the conversations will not be nice but I think Marco must start with a squad that everyone is eager to play for and has prospects to play.”
First port of call for the Dutchman in his new role, then, is almost certain to be a cull of between 8-12 players, including names as high-profile as Wayne Rooney and Morgan Schneiderlin. While there is quite evidently much work to do in terms of reinforcing certain areas with both quality and depth, for now at least, the priority is firmly on getting rid of the deadwood.
Brands' words have already prompted some journalists and supporters to label Everton's recruitment plans this summer with the rather pejorative 'sell to buy' moniker. For some - particularly those who had imagined that major shareholder Farhad Moshiri would continue to plough funds in at the same rate as before - this has been something of a wake-up call. Not all will be happy with the reality of Everton's current predicament.
Yet given the bloated nature of the current Everton squad - and the vast amounts of money wasted on big-money signings - the fact remains that this is an essential step in rebalancing a club that will not have to contend with Europa League football this coming season.
After spending £150 million last summer to regress to an eighth-placed finish behind Burnley, Moshiri and Brands both know that the Blues will have to box clever this time around. With Everton's commercial revenue still lagging way behind that of the top-six and Financial Fair Play a lingering threat for clubs who spend beyond their means, the logical next step for Brands is to start his tenure by going back to square one.
Indeed, what is most apparent when analysing the current crop of players at Goodison is the top-heavy age-profile of the squad. Many of Everton's highest earners, such as Wayne Rooney and Ashley Williams, are over 30 and past their peak. The veteran duo, plus midfield flops Morgan Schneiderlin and Davy Klaassen, could all leave this summer as Brands seeks to not only bring the average age of the squad down but also free up some funds on the wage bill. Expensive failures will be jettisoned regardless of their standing if manager Marco Silva does not see a viable path for them into the first-team.
Elsewhere, fringe players Cuco Martina, Maarten Stekelenburg, Joel Robles and Muhamed Besic may also be shown the door along with a number of younger individuals who have failed to make the step up to first-team level. Tyias Browning, Luke Garbutt and Brendan Galloway are three such individuals who could well find themselves surplus to requirements during the close season.
Such a cull may not bring in huge amounts of money in transfer fees, but as Brands pointed out, the goal is as much about reducing the wage bill and trimming the squad to manageable levels. None of the players listed would be miss to Everton in the long-term, and so the upside is tangible.
It's precisely why this new approach should be welcomed and not feared or criticised.
In an age where 'winning the transfer window' erroneously seems to be a coveted prize in itself and transfer fees continue to rise exorbitantly, there is still clearly something to be said for diligent dealing. Creating the right conditions to sign players on the rise for smaller fees and big mark-ups has seen a variety of European clubs, from Sevilla and Lazio to Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, make gains both domestically and on the continent. With Brands fully aware that supermarket sweeps of top-six failures and relegated players will yield little in the way of success, Everton, seemingly, will now look to emulate several of their counterparts on the continent.
A symptom of financial weakness for some, Everton's impending mass clearout is instead a sign that lessons have been learned. In turning a new page, Brands is giving himself the best chance of succeeding where Walsh and Co failed - and his club the opportunity to move on from a disappointing year on and off the pitch.
