Everton are heading into the closing stages of the transfer window with a few questions still hanging over the squad.
Rafa Benitez has brought four new arrivals to the club since being confirmed as manager at the end of June, with goalkeeper Andy Lonergan being confirmed as the latest signing on Friday.
The boss surprisingly revealed that the 37-year-old had put pen-to-paper on a short-term contract at Goodison Park until the end of the campaign during his pre-Leeds United press conference.
With the end of the transfer window less than two weeks away, however, there is still business for Everton to potentially complete.
The futures of Moise Kean and James Rodriguez are still under intense speculation, and there are still questions over which positions the Blues still need to strengthen in the squad.
However, with just days until the deadline, there are six players in the Everton side that Benitez can't consider dropping.
Jordan Pickford
Despite the arrival of Asmir Begovic at Everton over the course of the summer, Jordan Pickford's place in the starting 11 at Goodison Park is pretty well set.
The 27-year-old was forced to rotate at times last season as his form continued to fluctuate, with on-loan Robin Olsen stepping into the side admirably on those occasions.
However, that only seemed to spur the former Sunderland man on, and from the turn of the year onwards he has shown some fantastic form.
Not only for his club, of course. His brilliant performances continued throughout the summer and helped England to the final of Euro 2020, where he made two penalty saves in the decisive shootout but still ended on the losing side.
Now back with Everton, the goalkeeper got his 2021/22 campaign off to a strong start against Southampton, particularly coming out and commanding his area well in the second half from a string of dangerous James Ward-Prowse corners.
Pickford is arguably in the best form of his Blues career right now and looks to have stepped up to a leadership role from the back of the pitch.
Ben Godfrey
Ben Godfrey still hasn't been an Everton player for a year yet, but his influence on the side has been massive in that time.
The centre-back joined on transfer deadline day last summer, which was at the beginning of October thanks to a pandemic-hit season, to really not much fanfare.
Granted supporters were happy to see reinforcements in that area of the pitch and had been impressed by his performances at Norwich the previous year, but not many would have predicted just how good the 23-year-old would prove to be.
Instantly showing his versatility, the defender proved himself as a left-back initially thanks to an injury to Lucas Digne before eventually moving over to his more natural position.
Unfortunately for Benitez, he hasn't yet been able to call upon Godfrey this campaign. But when the centre-back is available once more, then he has to be one of the first names on the teamsheet.
The 23-year-old is an exciting talent with a lot of unique qualities in the Everton squad, who is only going to get better. He's bought into exactly what it takes to be a Blues star, and fans already love him for that.
Lucas Digne
It's no wonder Everton supporters were so happy to see Digne sign a new long-term contract with the club earlier this year.
Many were concerned about what the club might do to replace Leighton Baines but they needn't have been worried, the France international was more than ready to step into his predecessor's shoes.
The 28-year-old wasted no time in claiming his place in the starting 11 after joining the club in 2018 and has been a mainstay in the side since under both Marco Silva and Carlo Ancelotti.
With Benitez now at the helm, you'd expect the same to be the case.
Digne has proven himself to be one of the best left backs in the Premier League in his three seasons at Goodison Park so far, with his delivery into the box with crosses particularly proving to be a lethal weapon for the Blues.
That shouldn't take away from the France international's defensive ability, however, which is also exemplary and ensures he has to be right at the forefront of his manager's thinking.
Abdoulaye Doucoure
Another player who has not yet been at Goodison Park for a year, Abdoulaye Doucoure has instantly struck up a bond with Everton supporters.
Just look at the wild celebrations after his goal against Southampton for evidence of that if you needed it.
The midfielder was brought into an area of the pitch that desperately needed recruitment last summer and he managed to fill numerous roles for the side over the following campaign.
His injury towards the end of the 2020/21 term and subsequent absence from the starting 11 proved just how much Everton miss him when he's not there, and that is still accurate this season as well.
With Doucoure now targeting adding more goals to his game, his ability to not just win the ball back in important areas but also to drive forward with the ball and make intelligent late runs into the box could be key for Benitez.
Richarlison
Saturday's game-changing player will no doubt be very important to Benitez throughout the campaign.
Richarlison has played a huge amount of football over the last few months, with two summer tournaments with his country under his belt as well as being a crucial star for his club as well.
The Brazil international was straight back into action for the opening game of the term against Southampton and produced a goal and assist to kick the term off on the right foot.
Benitez later confirmed that the club are planning to finally give the 24-year-old a much-needed rest at some stage which could set him up for the rest of the season.
Despite the signings of Andros Townsend, Demarai Gray and potentially another winger before the end of the campaign - Richarlison will still be a hugely influential player in the squad.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Dominic Calvert-Lewin got his 2021/22 season off in the same fashion as he did last term.
The striker found the back of the net during his side's 3-1 victory over Southampton on the opening day, just as he did to help his side to a win over Spurs to start 2020/21.
The 24-year-old might not have played much over the course of the European Championships with England over the course of the summer, but that has kept him fresh for Everton's season instead.
Benitez knows the importance of Calvert-Lewin, making sure that the Blues signed the likes of Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray to increase the amount of service the striker will receive.
He's Everton's talisman and he will remain so regardless of what the club do in the closing stages of the transfer window.
