Everton's players will return to Finch Farm on Monday morning to a very different atmosphere than the one they left at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
At the beginning of June, Carlo Ancelotti shocked everyone at the club by announcing his departure to re-join Real Madrid and leave the Blues with yet another managerial search.
That culminated after 29 days with the appointment of Rafa Benitez, which has divided the fanbase in the days since the announcement.
And most of Everton's squad are set to experience what life is like under their new boss for the first time on Monday as they return for pre-season training ahead of a crucial campaign.
Those involved in international tournaments across the summer, however, are to be offered an extended break and will return in due course.
The new manager has an important summer ahead of him to get his squad prepared for 2021/22, and will surely be happy to get straight down to business with the majority of his players at the beginning of the week.
Here's what will be top of his to-do list on Monday.
Make headway with Rodriguez
There's a conversation to be had about James Rodriguez.
Rumours have been circulating throughout the summer regarding the immediate future of the Colombia international, and those reports were ramped up following the exit of Ancelotti.
The playmaker made no secret that the former manager was the overwhelming reason that he finds himself on Merseyside, and the departure of the Italian could well prove to be crucial for what comes next.
The 29-year-old was an important player for Everton last season and provided a lot of quality in attack on occasion, but did suffer from injuries which affected his rhythm throughout the term.
It is believed that Rodriguez has been offered to clubs around Europe, with AC Milan in particular rumoured, but he will be back at Finch Farm on Monday following his shock omission from Colombia's Copa America squad.
The Blues can't afford to have a transfer saga on their hands over such a prominent player in the side from last term, and so a resolution surely must be sought sooner rather than later.
What could potentially complicate matters are reports that Rodriguez and Benitez had a fractured relationship while the pair were both at Real Madrid in 2015.
Lay out immediate strategy
The lack of goodbye messages on social media from Everton's first team squad in the wake of Ancelotti's departure last month could well point to how disappointed they felt about his exit.
Since then multiple players have come out in various interviews and wished their former boss well in the future, with Jordan Pickford particularly talking about a phone conversation he had with Benitez shortly after his appointment.
It wouldn't be out of the question, in that case, to suggest that the new manager had done the rounds of getting in touch with all of his squad ahead of their return to training on Monday.
But this is his first real chance to set out his stall to the group, even if there are still a few key players absent from the set-up for the time-being.
Ancelotti's system drew its fair share of critics towards the end of the campaign particularly, with home performances coming under scrutiny as the Blues fell to some embarrassing defeats.
Benitez was brought to the club in the hope that he can correct that imbalance that the squad suffered from throughout the course of the campaign.
Whether that's introducing a new system and formation, or if it includes bringing different players back into the fold, the Spaniard has the opportunity to lay out what he wants from this squad on Monday.
It's probably not right to talk about targets until the full squad is assembled, including new transfers, but the new boss can at least lay out the style that he wants to see.
Assess transfer needs
It's undoubtedly going to be a busy transfer window for the Blues.
Everton have not been able to make much headway in terms of securing potential targets as the need to bring in a new manager has taken up the majority of their work so far.
Now with Benitez through the door, he is able to cast an eye over the majority of his squad and make some decisions of his own.
Of course he will have already had conversations with Marcel Brands regarding this, and the director of football's experience will be a crucial factor in this regard.
The Spaniard should work closely with him over the coming weeks to make sure the Blues strengthen in the right areas ahead of the coming season.
But Benitez will still have an idea of the profile of star he will need in certain areas of the pitch. Perhaps his idea of a new right back is different to that of Ancelotti, for example.
So for the squad currently at his disposal it will be important for the new manager to cast a significant eye across a number of important positions to determine what exactly he is working with.
Those transfer needs also relate to outgoings, of course.
A number of players will be returning from loan spells, including young stars who could potentially still be in need of experience, and decisions will have to be made on their immediate futures.
The likes of Anthony Gordon, Ellis Simms, Lewis Gibson and Jarrad Branthwaite immediately come to mind in that category - although the latter is not expected to be back on Monday as he is still recovering from surgery.
Meanwhile, there are players who have made no secret of their desire to leave the club this summer, such as Moise Kean - while others will also need to leave to make room for quality new members of the squad.
Welcome back Gbamin
Of course all players should have one-on-one discussions with Benitez over the coming days and weeks.
But perhaps Jean-Philippe Gbamin's could be the most important.
Signed under Marco Silva, the midfielder only played 135 minutes for the Portuguese boss before picking up his first long-term injury.
By the time he finally returned last season, he only made one appearance for Ancelotti before he was again sidelined until the end of the campaign.
The former Mainz star has now had as many permanent Everton managers as he has appearances for the club, which sums up the bad luck he's had over the course of his time on Merseyside.
Over the last few days, Gbamin has taken to social media to show off videos of himself back in the gym and working on a pitch with a personal trainer, seemingly raring to go for his return to Finch Farm.
This will be the first pre-season the 25-year-old has been able to take part in since his move to the club in 2019, and that could be crucial to him finally getting some sustained time on the pitch for Everton.
Benitez will have to manage him well over the coming days and weeks to make sure that happens, but perhaps Gbamin could be an important player in this new era at Goodison.
