Stop me if you've heard this one: Everton need a right back.
And not just an aging veteran like Ashley Young to hold down the position for a year (or two). An actual long term solution to the right back problem.
No disrespect to club legend Seamus Coleman, the need has been clear for several seasons now, going back to the 2020/21 season, when the club captain played in 31 matches but started only 22. And while he bounced back the following year with 33 starts and nearly 3000 minutes, Everton should have been bringing in someone then as his understudy who would be ready to take over the role.
There we plenty of attempts to fill the void, with various levels of success. Mason Holgate popped in from time to time, but that wasn't the answer. Nathan Patterson came in the next season, but didn't play a single minute upon his arrival.
The next year saw a mix of Coleman, Patterson, and even Ben Godfrey at right back during a truly tumultuous campaign. And the last two years have seen Young in the spot more often than not, although David Moyes eventually slid Jake O'Brien there when he returned to the club, with little from either Coleman or Patterson for two seasons.
So yeah, it's a problem, and it has been for a while.
The contrast was clear on Wednesday night in Chicago, as West Ham United ran out not one, but two right back options that Everton could have brought in over the last two transfer windows. Aaron Wan-Bissaka joined from Manchester United last summer for a quite reasonable £15 million, while Kyle Walker-Peters, who can play in both fullback roles, came to the Hammers on a free this summer.
And yet somehow, Everton cannot lock down a player to be their clear and obvious starting right back, both for now and the future.
O'Brien looked decent there last year and on Wednesday, and if the goal is to get Adam Aznou on the pitch at left back at some point, the Ireland international's predilection for defending will be a nice balance for the Moroccan's attacking mindset.
But there has to be something better, even a relatively modest move like adding Lyon's Ainsley Maitland-Niles would be a step in the right direction.
The fact is that Everton cannot go another transfer window without addressing the right back position. It's already been too long.