"Steven Naismith isn’t as prolific as former Gers team-mate Nikica Jelavic, however if he enjoys a similar impact will be loved."
David Moyes stayed, Steven Naismith has signed and Steven Pienaar should follow, but will Everton be able to build on that momentum?
One of the Premier League's cruellest traditions is for Everton to endure an uncertain summer which neatly transitions into a diabolical start to the season, so debilitating that it often takes until late December to recover.
To quite what extent the painful transfer windows are responsible for such sluggish starts is unclear, but they certainly can't help, so the lack of trauma accumulated thus far this pre-season has to be viewed as a positive.
Everton fans are well trained to expect star players to be linked with moves away, yet there was a brief threat of the ultimate destabiliser last month as Tottenham sacked Harry Redknapp and David Moyes was named the initial frontrunner.
The lack of glamour surrounding Goodison Park that must at times feel like a curse on this occasion worked in their favour though as Andre Villas-Boas was chosen instead, and there have been further encouraging developments since.
One was the arrival of one of the most well regarded Rangers deserters, Steven Naismith, on a free transfer. The versatile forward isn't as prolific as former Gers team-mate Nikica Jelavic, however if he enjoys a similar impact will be loved.
Steven Pienaar, the other man close to securing a switch, doesn't need to put any work into gaining the affection of supporters having excelled in his first two stints with the Toffees.
There was doubt over whether limited funds and Tottenham's change of boss would ruin Moyes' plans to make his successful loan return permanent, but Sky Sports claim that an agreement on a £5 million deal is imminent. Once a fee is fixed with Spurs, the rest should be a formality, with Pienaar keen on a reunion.
As promising as retaining Moyes and sorting two decent signings is, the big worry for Everton any summer is losing key men, and though that hasn't happened yet, reports suggest that Manchester United will attempt to persuade them to part with Leighton Baines.
But no matter how gruesome the first half of the season proves, Everton always seem to survive the slump, recording six straight top-eight finishes. They haven't quite made it into the top six in their last three campaigns, and are 5.14/1 to do so in 2012/13.
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