The January transfer window is just weeks away from opening for business.
For Everton, that represents a chance to strengthen a squad that has had its momentum checked in recent months after a fine start to the season.
The Blues took 10 points from their opening five Premier League games of the season, but have won just two of their last 12 in the top-flight.
Rafa Benitez has come under pressure from supporters in recent weeks due to a string of poor performances.
However, the recent exit of Marcel Brands has appeared to hand over further control of transfer activity to the Spaniard, who, the ECHO understands, is eager to bolster his squad in the winter window.
READ MORE: Everton new stadium can make good on Dan Meis promise with help from Premier League rival
READ MORE: 'Why not?' - Everton sent transfer message over Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli
The ECHO understands that Everton are sizing up their options in the loan market ahead of a first transfer window without a director of football in six years.
The club’s issues with financial fair play mean their January budget remains tight and so only loan moves are, at this stage, being looked into.
Benitez is also expected to try and offload some fringe players next month in a bid to raise funds and trim the wage bill.
Despite his impressive performance against Chelsea in his side’s last outing, one imagines the club would not stand in the way of Jonjoe Kenny should an offer be made for the full-back.
Kenny’s contract expires in the summer, and although he has been named in every squad in the league this season, he had only been given 10 minutes, as a sub, against Aston Villa before his start at Stamford Bridge.
Benitez has also already hinted that adding a right-back to his squad in January will be Everton's priority with Rangers’ Nathan Patterson once again being linked with the Blues.
Patterson, who is under contract at Ibrox until the summer of 2024, was the subject of two failed bids from Everton in the summer as they sought to bring in competition for Seamus Coleman.
Fabian Delph is another who is out of contract in the summer and could leave the club next month.
Injuries have limited the 32-year-old to only 36 appearances for the club since he joined in 2019 from Manchester City and he had been earmarked for sale this summer.
But Delph told new boss Benitez he wanted to stay and fight for his place during the last 12 months of his three-year contract.
Benitez was impressed with the midfielder's attitude in training and early performances but a dislocated shoulder saw him sidelined for seven league matches.
And although the former England international has since returned from injury and featured in recent weeks, he appears to have fallen down the pecking order.
While a third Everton star who is out of contract in the summer is forward Cenk Tosun , who has been linked with a return to Turkey.
The striker has worked his way back from a long-term injury and has been back on the bench for his side recently, but it's clear that his time with the club is running out.
Tosun came off the bench against Liverpool earlier this month before being an unused substitute against Arsenal just days later.
However, the Turkish international was not in the Blues’ matchday squads for the games against Crystal Palace and Chelsea.
The future of Lucas Digne has also been thrown into doubt over the last month, with the full-back having not featured since the 4-1 defeat to Liverpool.
The ECHO understands that Digne and Benitez have endured a strained relationship, with the left-back questioning the team's style of play and his role within that.
However, it remains unclear if Everton would entertain the idea of selling the 28-year-old in January amid continued speculation linking him with a move away from the club.
Those links were further strengthened last week when it emerged that Everton have set their sights on Dynamo Kiev defender Vitaliy Mykolenko.
One Goodison source told the ECHO that Mykolenko has been high on the club's wishlist for months and Everton rate him as one of the leading young left-backs in Europe.
The ECHO also understands that Dynamo will demand a fee in the region of £20m for the Ukraine international and are not open to loaning him.
While it's fair to say that Jean-Philippe Gbamin's time at Everton has certainly not gone to plan up to this point with injuries preventing him from regular game time.
The 26-year-old was handed his first Premier League start in over two years when Everton made the trip to face Wolves at the beginning of the month.
However, the former Ivory Coast international was replaced by Delph at half time after what was a sub-par performance, with the Blues going on to lose 2-1 at Molineux.
Youngster Tyler Onyango was preferred in the recent defeat to Man City, but Gbamin did feature for the final 60 seconds against Tottenham, and the final 19 minutes in the draw with Chelsea.
Benitez recently admitted that the midfielder's situation is "complicated" and the Blues may well consider sending him out on loan next month in order to gain regular game time.
