ECHO writers take a look at what they think is most important in the three weeks until the beginning of the Premier League season

With just over three weeks to go until the Premier League season kicks-off, Everton have a lot to do.

After a pre-season training camp in France ended with a win over Swiss side Stade Nyonnais, the players are back at Finch Farm where they underwent the gruelling ‘Gaffer’s Day’ on Tuesday. The focus on fitness will continue but the coming days will also feature a switch of mindset as more tactical and technical work is introduced into training.

There will also be the friendlies with Wigan, Bolton, Stoke and Sporting, all opportunities for young and fringe players to impress Sean Dyche, while business in the transfer market will surely gather pace. So far, Ashley Young is the only addition to a squad that has lost a number of senior players.

With plenty of work still to do, and that date with Fulham at Goodison Park getting closer, here is what some of the ECHO’s Blues writers would love to see between now and August 12.

Short of Romelu Lukaku returning to Everton to bolster the goal-shy squad’s attack – or better still, 10 years on from his initial signing at Goodison Park, an equivalent striker a decade younger – one of the biggest realistic ambitions on Sean Dyche’s wish-list must be a clean bill of health for the players he does have for the big kick-off against Marco Silva’s Fulham. The Blues – who didn’t even name a full complement of substitutes for their survival showdown against Bournemouth and as things stand, have fewer players now – have got a small squad by Premier League standards so they’ll want to have as many options available in three weeks’ time. That’s not to say that they don’t need to add to their current numbers because they clearly need to.

Since that game against the Cherries, when Everton were an Abdoulaye Doucoure wonder-strike away from suffering their first relegation in 72 years despite posting the lowest equivalent points total in their 135-year history in the Football League, they have lost half a dozen players and only brought one in. It’s imperative that more new faces come through the door and while last summer there were eight, many arrived late in the window so ideally at least one centre-forward and one winger is required before the season starts.

Paul Wheelock

First and foremost, no fresh injuries. Even if Sean Dyche is able to bring in the new signings he desperately needs, his will still remain a thin squad by Premier League standards. But there is no getting away from the fact that fresh faces are going to have to arrive through the Finch Farm doors before the season kicks-off – namely at least one new centre-forward and one new wide player. Dyche simply did not have the players to effect games off the bench at the back end of last season and that situation has not changed despite what I believe will be a canny signing in Ashley Young.

That cannot remain the case – for Dyche, his coaching staff and the players, but also for the supporters. They know their club is in a difficult situation financially but the powers that be have to find a way of freeing up funds for new recruits. Should Everton go into that game against Fulham with just Young as their sole arrival, the feeling of optimism that the start of any season brings will be dampened. What happened in January still lives long in the memory.

Joe Thomas

Everton are unlikely to be able to do all of the business the club wants to do before the start of the season. It quite probably will not be able to solve every issue the squad has in this transfer window. But I do hope to see the fundamentals of the team in place by Fulham though. There are areas Everton can gamble on leaving until later in the window but a striker is not one of them. Dominic Calvert-Lewin can be a wonderful asset when fit but he has suffered misfortune with injury over recent years and is still in his own race to overcome his most recent hamstring issue.

Last season his knee injury and the failure to adequately replace Richarlison undermined a campaign Everton started without a recognised striker. In what could be another tough year, Everton’s opening fixtures offer an opportunity to build momentum early. Everton either need to have someone who can cover for Calvert-Lewin in the coming weeks, or a striker who can offer something different who is signed early enough for the squad to understand how to support him. A winger would also be useful to provide attacking options and enough strength for Dyche to feel he can use his bench more often.

There is little doubt Everton will be in a good place fitness-wise by August 12, but key to this season is having support for Calvert-Lewin and that should be the priority for whatever money there is to spend. Stability in the boardroom would also be helpful with the best part of 40,000 sets of eyes sure to glance towards the directors’ box to see whether there are any empty seats there for the Fulham game.

Matt Jones

If we’re to limit the list to three items, all three priorities could be the same thing – a transfer, a transfer and another transfer.

Everton seem to be doing plenty well under Sean Dyche this pre-season. The players will be in better shape, there are youngsters involved and there feels to at least be an outline being established about how this team will play. They will be direct and aggressive.

However, there is no substitute for quality and while James Tarkowski recently talking up Everton’s attempts at being the fittest team in the Premier League, fitness is just one component that wins football matches.

With the season closing in, Everton still haven’t signed the striker they know they’ve needed for a year, still haven’t added a central defender after losing two of their best three last season and still haven’t improved the wide positions where they currently have two natural options.