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Everton have been the most proactive Premier League club in the transfer market this summer by quite some distance.

We’re not even two weeks into the international transfer window, which officially opened on July 1st, and the Toffees have already signed seven players.

With Romelu Lukaku’s £75million plus add-ons move to Manchester United only being confirmed last night and Ross Barkley’s expected departure yet to materialise, logic suggests Everton’s summer shopping spree is far from finished – those exits will give Ronald Koeman even more to spend should the Merseysiders pick up the £50million they want for the England international.

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After decades of modest spending, this is shaping up to be the summer in which Everton’s outlay starts competing with some of the biggest clubs in Europe and perhaps most importantly, the clubs who finished above them in the Premier League table last season.

Furthermore, Koeman’s squad was in need of a revamp at the end of 2016/17; five of the nine players to make 25 starts or more for the Toffees in the top flight last term were aged 29 or older; and he’s already sought to address that problem, signing a young goalkeeper in Jordan Pickford and injecting some much-needed fresh blood into the heart of defence with a swoop for Burnley’s highly-rated Michael Keane.

In fact, excluding 31-year-old Wayne Rooney (who is actually almost four years younger than captain Phil Jagielka) all of Everton’s signings this summer are aged 24 or younger.

With Everton’s two biggest stars and most valuable entities, Lukaku and Barkley, moving on, Koeman has embraced the chance to deconstruct a team that never reached its full potential under Roberto Martinez and is now building his own side, based on his own principles and judgement of player quality.

The problem, however, is what history tells us. And in the context of Everton’s summer spending thus far, it’s that replacing top-class talent by holistically recruiting players just below that calibre rarely works out. In fact, it usually leads to a downturn in league standing, managerial sackings, transitional seasons of soul searching and consequently, small fortunes in transfer fees thrown down the drain.

The most recent example is Liverpool, who made eight major signings in the wake of Luis Suarez’s £75million move to Barcelona three years ago. The Uruguayan had inspired the Reds to a runner-up finish the campaign previous and the theory that Liverpool could replace a talismanic entity by improving depth in a variety of departments quickly proved flawed.

They finished the next campaign in sixth place, 22 points worse off, and just a matter of months into the season after Brendan Rodgers lost his job. Of those eight signings, who cost a combined £105million, only three made more than 25 top-flight appearances for the Reds last season. Two have left the club and two more will likely move this summer – Lazar Markovic and Alberto Moreno.

But the Anfield outfit aren’t the only club guilty of that mistake. Just one year earlier, Tottenham Hotspur sold Gareth Bale to Real Madrid for a world-record fee and much like Koeman, Andre Villas-Boas used the departure to rebuild a squad he’d inherited from Harry Redknapp that didn’t quite live up to its billing.

£104million was spent on seven players, only two of which are still at the club – Erik Lamela (who may well move on this summer) and Christian Eriksen. Villas-Boas, meanwhile, was sacked in December, leaving Tim Sherwood to oversee a sixth-place finish in the top flight – one position and three points worse off than the year before.

Of course, those situations aren’t exactly identical with Everton’s this summer.

Barkley and Lukaku, although clearly phenomenal talents, weren’t talismanic for the Toffees in the same way. Suarez and Bale were the inspirational driving forces of their teams; Barkley, on the other hand, wasn’t even been a guaranteed starter last season and although Lukaku’s goals will be hard to replace, his overall involvement in all-round play was often limited. Everton will be losing a focal point and a lethal finisher, but not a player who pushes forward the rest of the team with Bale’s match-winning ability or Suarez’s incredible commitment.

Likewise, although Koeman restored Everton to seventh place last season after two years in the bottom half, it wasn’t exactly a stellar campaign on Merseyside. Liverpool were a whisker away from the title when Suarez left and Spurs narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification in the months before Bale’s departure, but last season really wasn’t where Everton want to be – in fact, seventh place and Europa League football is very much the minimum requirement.

And yet, Koeman still faces the same intrinsic problem as Rodgers and Villas-Boas – namely, how much patience Everton’s paymasters will have following the most expensive transfer window in the club’s history. Villas-Boas was given just six months to bed in his new-look Tottenham and Rodgers was given the best part of a year.

Everton have never been a hire-and-fire club, but who knows how long Koeman’s stay of execution will be if the Toffees don’t start next season strongly – rather worryingly, they face five of last season’s top six in their first nine top-flight fixtures of the coming campaign.

Likewise, thus far, Everton have made the same mistake as Spurs and Liverpool in not directly replacing their most important player with similar ability. Tottenham’s answer to losing Bale was signing Lamela, whereas Liverpool’s approach to replacing Suarez was swooping for Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli.

Perhaps Koeman has another striker signing up his sleeve but currently, an ageing Wayne Rooney and a 22-year-old Sandro Ramirez who has never plied his trade out of Spanish football before will be asked to fill the goalscoring void of one of the best strikers in Europe, who finished second in the Premier League’s Golden Boot rankings last season and reached double figures in the top flight during all four of his campaigns on Merseyside. Evidence to suggest they’re up to the task isn’t wholly convincing, especially when coupled with the fallacy of trying to replace one with two.

History has a worrying knack of repeating itself in the Premier League and in addition to Tottenham and Liverpool’s disastrous attempts to replace world-class quality, there is a recurring trend of clubs recruiting widely in anticipation for the Europa League, which Everton will be involved in next season, only for their following season to fall apart both domestically and on the continent – West Ham in 2016/17 providing the most recent example.

So amid a summer in which £30million is the new £20million, you have to wonder how glamorous Everton’s signings actually are, whether they have the quality to compensate for what Lukaku and Barkley will take away and inevitably, if Everton would have been better off making two or three huge, top-class additions rather than seven (at a minimum) who may or may not go on to reach that status in the coming years.

At first glance, Koeman may be spreading the risk; but in reality, he’s watering down a squad that finished last season with top-class entities. It’s now a matter of survival for Koeman; can he last long enough to not only get so many players from so many different footballing backgrounds to settle, but also to turn the club’s enormous investments into profitability on the pitch?

Right now, he’s tight-rope walking the same transfer booby-trap that eventually cost Rodgers and Villas-Boas their jobs and compelled both Spurs and Liverpool to several seasons in the wilderness.

As reported by Italian outlet TuttoSport, Chelsea are interested in signing Antonio Candreva this summer.

What’s the story?

With Antonio Conte needing to add numbers to his squad if the Blues are to compete on multiple fronts home and abroad next season, it’s important that Chelsea do more business this summer beyond the big signings they’ve already made.

One area they could do with strengthening is the right wing-back position, where Victor Moses performed so well last term. With no direct adequate replacement though, Conte would possibly have to change his team’s shape should he pick up an injury.

That may be why they’re targeting Antonio Candreva, the Inter Milan wide-man who can play up and down the right flank. That’s according to TuttoSport, who say that a deal involving cash and fringe defender Andreas Christensen could be enough to tempt Inter into making a deal.

TuttoSport say the Italian club value him at around £22.5m.

What does he offer?

Candreva offers Chelsea the defensive shape and presence in their 3-4-3 set-up made famous in the English Premier League by Antonio Conte last season, but with a clinical attacking edge.

Last season he scored eight goals and created 11 assists for his teammates in all competitions, pointing to a player with the experience and quality to be a consistent and effective force in top-flight football.

The 30-year-old would add serious depth to that crucial right flank both for Victor Moses and further forward too. In every respect, if the deal can be done fairly and for the right price, this seems like a potentially excellent signing.

A number of Premier League clubs are being put off by Everton’s £25m asking price for James McCarthy, according to The Mirror’s transfer live blog.

What’s the word?

Injuries have played a major role in the midfielder’s decline at Goodison Park.

Last season, McCarthy started just seven Premier League games and came off the bench in a further five under manager Ronald Koeman.

It seems as though Everton are willing to offload the 26-year-old, but are after £25m.

The Mirror claims that Newcastle United, Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion are all interested in McCarthy, but they value him at around £15m.

The Republic of Ireland international signed for the Toffees from Wigan Athletic in 2013 for a £13m figure.

Should Everton lower the price tag?

Given that the Merseyside outfit are seemingly spending money like it’s water, it would make sense for them to sell some of the deadwood.

It is worth noting that the club received a hefty sum – reported by The Metro as £75m – when they sold Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United.

However, they have still splashed in excess of £100m on six new arrivals, including Michael Keane and Wayne Rooney.

With the likes of Davy Klaassen, Morgan Schneiderlin, Idrissa Gueye and Tom Davies vying for places in the middle of the park, McCarthy could struggle for minutes.

From a business point of view, freeing up the wage bill by selling the midfielder makes sense, and given that he has three years left on his contract, Everton hold the cards in negotiations.

Although, if interested parties are not willing to meet the price, the Toffees should consider lowering the figure.

According to The Shields Gazette, Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez has told Jack Colback that the midfielder will be left out of the club’s 25-man Premier League squad this season.

Colback was not involved in Newcastle’s final pre-season friendly against Hellas Verona at the weekend, and it appears that the former Sunderland midfielder is surplus to requirements at St James’ Park.

That said, the 27-year-old still has two years left to run on his Newcastle contract, whilst it is thought that his wages could prove a stumbling block to a number of interested Championship clubs.

Former England Under-2o international Colback made 21 Championship appearances for Newcastle last season after joining from bitter rivals Sunderland, although it seems that he struggled to impress the club’s supporters.

Indeed, news that Colback, who has plenty of Premier League experience, could be left out of Benitez’s 25-man squad has been welcomed by the Magpies fans, with the majority doubting his ability to contribute in the new campaign.

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has an unwritten agreement to join Real Madrid, according to Diario Gol.

What’s the word?

The Spanish international has been linked with a move to Madrid ever since his attempt to join the club collapsed in 2015.

The 26-year-old was set to return to his homeland, but some of the paperwork was not filed before the deadline, causing the deal to crumble.

De Gea then made a dramatic U-turn by signing a new contract at Old Trafford and he has seemingly not looked back since.

However, according to Diario Gol, the shot-stopper still has his heart set on a move to the European giants, but it will not be this summer.

Manager Zinedine Zidane is keen to stick by Keylor Navas this season, but De Gea is expected to replace the Costa Rican next year.

Can United keep him?

The Red Devils certainly have the financial clout and ambition to keep hold of arguably one of the best keepers in the world.

However, De Gea has strong connections to Madrid as it is his birthplace, and for any Spanish footballer, playing for Real or Barcelona is the pinnacle.

After his failed attempt to move to the Bernabeu two years ago, the shot-stopper has remained loyal to United.

During his six-year spell at the club, he has won four trophies, including the Premier League title and the Europa League.

De Gea may harbour ambitions of winning the Champions League with United, but if Madrid come calling next summer, it would be hard to say no.

West Ham United picked up their first points and win of the Premier League season at the fourth attempt as they beat newly-promoted Huddersfield Town 2-0 at the London Stadium on Monday night, but Irons fans are still divided on one of their defenders.

Jose Fonte has struggled to make a real impact following his January transfer window move from Southampton, but he was recalled to the starting line-up from the team that was beaten 3-0 at Newcastle United before the international break as Slaven Bilic reverted to a 4-3-3 formation.

The Portugal international probably put in one of his best performances in a Hammers shirt and he was certainly committed and showed great energy throughout as the east London outfit picked up a much-needed victory.

West Ham supporters were quick to have their say on the performance of the 33-year-old via social, and they were divided with their opinions as some believed that he was “outstanding”, while others said he was just “running around like a headless chicken”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Ahead of a Premier League clash with Crystal Palace this weekend, Manchester United face somewhat of an injury crisis in central midfield. Paul Pogba appears to be a long-term absentee, while Marouane Fellaini is out until after the international break and Michael Carrick has been sidelined too.

But this current Red Devils side boasts rather incredible strength in depth, something that was particularly evident last night as a vastly changed side produced a convincing 4-1 win over CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.

And no player better epitomised the number of proven and experienced options Jose Mourinho has at his disposal this season than Ander Herrera, last season’s Player of the Year who has been forced to settle for a bit-part role since Nemanja Matic’s arrival during the summer.

With the aforementioned trio all sidelined, it was the Spain international who stepped up to partner Matic in midfield in the Russian capital, providing a reminder that he’s more than capable of filling Pogba’s void.

Indeed, the two-cap midfielder had the most touches of the ball of any player on the pitch, a whopping 118, while completing 93% of his passes – including a delicious through ball that lead to Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s goal in the second half.

Herrera also weighed in with two tackles, three interceptions, two dribbles and one created chance, highlighting his exceptional all-round game.

Although that bodes well for United’s clash with Palace this weekend, the performance also proved exactly why Jose Mourinho’s side can go far in this season’s Champions League while balancing out their domestic commitments – the incredible depth and competition for places within the squad.

Sheffield United continued their storming start to the English Championship season with a thumping 4-2 win over city rivals Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Sunday.

The Blades were in sparkling form to rush to a 2-0 lead early in the first half thanks to John Fleck and Leon Clarke before Gary Hooper and Lucas Joao pegged the visitors back.

However, Chris Wilder’s team were not to be denied, scoring two goals through Mark Duffy and Clarke again to pick up their first win in the fixture since way back in 2009.

It was a devastating result for the home supporters, who were hoping that Carlos Carvalhal could inspire their team to victory.

Patience is now wearing thin with supporters who are questioning whether the Portuguese is the man to take them forward as they dream of promotion to the English Premier League. Some are even calling for him to go.

Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the Owls manager…

With Steve Bruce at the helm and after keeping all of their key players at the club during the summer transfer window and adding the likes of John Terry, Glenn Whelan and Robert Snodgrass (later in August) to their squad, it was no surprise that Aston Villa were installed as one of the pre-season automatic promotion favourites this term.

Villa would have hoped to make an instant return to the Premier League last season but they never recovered from the poor start that saw Roberto Di Matteo sacked and replaced by Bruce in October, eventually finishing in 13th position in the Championship standings.

Ending the campaign 18 points from the play-off positions, the former Hull City boss knew that he had a lot of work to do during the off-season to ensure that his team got off to a positive start.

However the Midlands outfit won just one of their opening seven league fixtures of the current season, which was a disappointing return for everyone connected with the club and would have seen some of the supporters start to question their manager.

It meant that they were in 18th position going into their match against Barnsley at Oakwell on September 16 and with the pressure beginning to build on Bruce, he opted to select a more traditional 4-4-2 formation.

The decision paid off as Villa ran out comfortable 3-0 winners, and the return of Jonathan Kodjia from injury and Albert Adomah to the starting line-up have coincided with the side going on to win their next three Championship fixtures too, against Burton Albion, Nottingham Forest and Bolton Wanderers last time out.

While the Midlands outfit have moved up to seventh in the table as a result, the fact that three of those four successive victories have come against teams currently in the bottom seven suggest that no one can afford to get carried away just yet.

When you look at Villa’s upcoming fixtures – and in particular the next five – you get the feeling that we are really about to see whether they are genuine automatic promotion contenders or not.

First up is a trip to Molineux to face in-form Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, and it is a huge test considering they have lost just once in their last seven Championship matches in a run that has included four wins.

Like Villa also did last month, Wolves ran out 4-0 winners against Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium last time out and with only Hull City, Bristol City and Ipswich Town scoring more than the 19 goals they have plundered in 11 league games this term, they also look to be a huge threat to Steve Bruce’s side’s defence.

The fact that the visitors will be missing a key member of their backline in left-back Neil Taylor through suspension is undoubtedly a huge blow, especially with the Villa backline set to come up against the likes of Diogo Jota, Helder Costa, Ruben Neves and Leo Bonatini for the hosts.

It is the sort of fixture that Bruce would probably be happy with a point from on paper, but it is also an opportunity to send out a message to the rest of the Championship that Villa mean business this season after such a disappointing campaign last term.

Following the trip to Molineux the Midlands outfit play host to 10th-placed Fulham, who are yet to hit the heights that saw them reach the play-offs last season despite winning four of their last seven league games.

While that match will be tough, the following week Villa face arch-rivals Birmingham City at St Andrew’s in what is sure to be a feisty and difficult encounter.

Villa may not see the 22nd-placed Blues as promotion rivals right now, but you never know what is going to happen in a derby match and it is certainly another test of Bruce’s side’s credentials with Steve Cotterill only recently taking the reins at their local neighbours.

A trip to Preston North End, who currently have the strongest defence in the division and are situated in the top six, comes three days later, before they host Sheffield Wednesday – who like Fulham were beaten in the play-off semi-finals last season – at Villa Park on November 4.

This next run of five fixtures may not be season-defining, but it will certainly let us see if Villa truly are the real deal.

To be automatic promotion contenders you need to be picking up positive results against the likes of Wolves, Fulham and Preston rather than just Burton and Bolton, with all due respect, when you have squad like Villa do.

Anthony Martial was Manchester United’s hero at the weekend as the Frenchman came off the bench to score the winner against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

The former AS Monaco attacker would have been disappointed not to have started the clash at Old Trafford, but he came up with a massive goal in the 81st minute as United returned to winning ways in the Premier League.

Martial has now scored four Premier League goals off the bench this season, and has drawn praise for his change in attitude in the early weeks of the 2017-18 campaign.

It would not be a surprise to see the 21-year-old back on the bench for United’s Champions League clash with Benfica on Tuesday night, but he is making it difficult for Jose Mourinho to leave him out of the XI.

On Monday morning, United’s official Twitter account posted a GIF of Martial, who is valued at £31.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, celebrating after the clash with Tottenham at the weekend.

As expected, the club’s supporters were out in force to hail the Frenchman, who certainly has the talent to go right to the very top.