Everton, having brought in a whole host of new faces earlier in the summer, were seemingly content with the squad crafted.
Sacrifices had to be made to ensure the progression of Sean Dyche’s side, but now, with the Premier League season fresh on the horizon, their first team is undeniably in a far better place than it was.
That’s not to suggest that further improvements cannot be made, and now it seems that Kevin Thelwell has made the executive decision to snub one fine option he had to easily bolster his midfield.
The Toffees have been far quieter in the transfer market in recent weeks, having tied the bulk of their business up nice and early this summer.
It marks a refreshing change, but that has not meant that Thelwell is finished in bringing new faces to Goodison Park.
Everton’s efforts to sign Kalvin Phillips exemplify this, and yet, despite steady progress seemingly being made, they never really seemed to close in on true confirmation.
It seems their indecisive nature has finally caught up with them, as journalist Ben Jacobs has now confirmed that the £45m Manchester City man has made a decision on his future.
He wrote: ‘Ipswich have an agreement in principle with Manchester City for Kalvin Phillips on a season-long loan. No option to buy.’
It was clear that the Toffees wanted a new midfielder, so missing out on this, the simplest of solutions to that problem, seems odd.
Whether Thelwell has alternative plans, with Everton’s interest in Jens Cajuste, remains to be seen.
But at the moment, it just seems like he simply opted out of bidding to bring Phillips to Goodison Park on loan.
It could prove a costly error, given the experience and quality of the 28-year-old, even if his presence might have stolen a starting spot from a permanent star already at the club.
After all, his talents are undeniable, even if they have seldom been seen in recent seasons.
Harking back to his first year in the Premier League with Leeds United, arguably the finest personal campaign of his career, he orchestrated their success by maintaining an 85% pass accuracy alongside 1.2 key passes and 2.6 tackles per game.
This is exactly the kind of combative and classy enforcer that the Toffees might have needed in Amadou Onana’s absence. It remains to be seen the true effects of this decision.
