The first half the current Premier League campaign has been something of a mixed bag for Everton, with some fine results combined with a few terrible ones, especially the home losses to Tottenham and Newcastle United.
Last weekend's 0-0 draw at Burnley was another poor game, although the Toffees were short of their four best outfield players and once more refereeing decisions went against them with inexplicable failures to award Everton penalties in both the defeat to Arsenal and at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Most of the Blues problems are, of course, focused on the team's attack, with the perennial goal-scoring issues being the most pressing concern.
Thierno Barry has finally broken his duck, but he and Beto still only have one Premier League strike each to their name with just one more match against Nottingham Forest left to play in the calendar year of 2025. That is just not an acceptable return from supposedly Premier League strikers.
Clearly, if Everton are to progress and consistently challenge for a European place let alone a trophy anytime soon, they will have to solve this problem and David Moyes will surely need to be active again after a busy and expensive summer.
A bewildering number of forward's names have been linked to the Toffees over the last year or so and again several new stories have emerged in the run-up to next month's window opening.
It will be a big challenge to find a decent striker who is available and affordable in the January window and Everton may have to trawl far and wide to find one. The latest forward linked is Wolves' Jorgen Strand Larsen.
The Norway international has not had a great campaign at all, although he had a strong season last time round with fourteen goals and Wolves have been so bad that he surely cannot be totally to blame for this.
The other pressing area of the team that is currently dysfunctional is full-back, particularly right-back, where the Blues have been struggling without success to replace Seamus Coleman for years now.
Along with forward rumours, there have been several stories about possible full-backs that the Toffees might well be targetting.
Two of the current crop of full-backs in the squad, Vitalli Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson, arrived in a previous January window when Rafa Benitez signed them in 2021.
Leeds United's Jayden Bogle and Spaniard Juanlu Sanchez who is playing for Sevilla, are two full-back names being mooted as possible signings in the New Year.
Whether Everton can strike a deal for anyone of these players we will see.