Here are your Everton morning headlines for Sunday, 23 August.
Friendly leaves more questions than answers
Everton fought back from 3-0 down after 11 minutes to draw 3-3 in a pre-season friendly at Blackpool on Saturday.
While Carlo Ancelotti will know that concrete conclusions can’t really be drawn from non-competitive games, he’ll still have been left with concerns.
As reported by the Echo, the game highlighted issues in the centre of midfield, with Tom Davies and Gylfi Sigurdsson - despite the latter scoring twice - struggling to exert control.
Such a poor start to the match will also give Ancelotti plenty to think about, with certain players struggling to make an impact against lower-league opposition.
Nkonkou impresses fans
Everton fans were impressed by new recruit Niels Nkounkou during the draw with Blackpool.
Nkonkou was signed from Marseille this summer and is set to linkup with the Under-23 side this campaign, but he caught the eye after replacing Lucas Digne.
The left-back played just under half an hour in the encounter but, as highlighted by the Echo, he may be given opportunities this season following the retirement of Leighton Baines.
Whilst a pre-season friendly against a League One side should betaken with a pinch of salt, fans will be hopeful that Nkonkou can make a long-term impact at Goodison Park.
Hints on new player numbers
One thing Everton fans will have noticed on Saturday was 'new' squad numbers for the players.
As outlined by the Echo, the most prominent switch was Mason Holgate swapping the No.4 shirt for No.2, with returning defender Jonjoe Kenny - who was on loan at Schalke last season - now occupying the No.28 shirt, having previously worn 43.
Niels Nkounkou occupied the No.19 shirt left vacant by Djibril Sidibe, while Anthony Gordon is now No.24, switching from 42.
Elsewhere, Mo Besic is now No.30 with Yannick Bolasie No.29.
It remains to be seen whether these will be permanent number changes but all will become clear soon.
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