They enter this WPL after losing back-to-back finals, as Lanning looks to work on “just some small things here and there”

Sruthi Ravindranath11-Feb-2025Two seasons, two top-of-the-table finishes. Two finals, but no trophies. Delhi Capitals (DC) came close to title wins in WPL 2023 and 2024, before falling short in the final against Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, respectively. But for captain Meg Lanning, continuing to do what they’ve done the last two seasons along with “a few little changes” is all the team needs to go one step ahead and clinch the title in 2025.”We’ve had two good seasons without obviously being able to finish it off the way we would have liked in winning the title,” Lanning said. “I guess the key for us is maintaining what we’ve been doing well. We think we have been playing some really good cricket, and doing a lot of things right. We’re just evolving and making a few little changes here and there that we think will make a big difference, and hopefully allows us to take that next step. It’s not [a] big shift from us.”We’ve added some new players, and also the players who have been here previously have also improved and gotten better as well. We feel like we’re [at] a really good spot. It’s not [about] changing too much. We’ve been doing a lot right. It’s just some small things here and there to to take us to the next step.”Related

• From home-schooling, to attacking mindsets: how the WPL is changing life for young Indian women

• Can Delhi Capitals go one step further this time?

• Shafali, Reddy and others who could take WPL route to Indian team

• Shafali focuses on 'playing long innings' as she eyes India comeback

Lanning has continued to be part of franchise leagues and domestic cricket after announcing her international retirement in 2023. Not playing for Australia has given her plenty of time at home, which she enjoys, but being around young players during franchise-based tournaments and giving them advice has been gratifying, Lanning admitted. Playing these leagues before a tournament like WPL also helps her get into the “rhythm”.Lanning is not only entering this WPL season as the tournament’s highest-ever run-getter – she has 676 runs across two seasons – but also on the back of some superb scores in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL), Australia’s domestic 50-over competition, where she averaged 51.14 in eight games.”Playing matches is important; there’s nothing quite like being out in the middle and being in a good rhythm with that,” she said. “I feel like those games are great for me in that respect. I feel like I’m in a good spot with my game. I always enjoy playing and batting over here in India. I’ve had some success in the past. So far, the couple [of] days I’ve been here, it’s been nice to just get used to the conditions again, and just be really clear on what my plan is and how I want to go about it.”I think having experienced international cricket for so long, I’ve picked up different things along the way on what works and what doesn’t. And I guess now I’ve got the opportunity to work with – particularly back home, but also in tournaments like this – younger players, and try and pass on some of the knowledge that I’ve picked up not just on the field but [also] off the field – in terms of how you can manage yourself with the pressures that come with playing cricket at this level.”So that’s something I try to do with any team I play in now is pass on some of that knowledge and answer any questions that any of the other players [have]. Everybody here wants to learn and ask questions, and I really loved that about the environment.”Meg Lanning on Shafali Verma: “She looks like she’s in really good touch, and enjoying herself and having fun too”•Delhi Capitals

‘I’ve got the best seat in the house’ – Lanning on batting alongside Shafali

Among the biggest positives for DC over the last two seasons has been the Lanning-Shafali Verma opening partnership. Lanning has been the solid batter at one end with a regular flow of runs while Shafali has gone for the big shots, and together, they have broken several partnership records. So far, they have put up three 100-plus stands in the tournament, and also hold the record of the highest-ever partnership of 162, which they put up against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2023, in the tournament. Lanning hopes to repeat the feat this season as well, adding how much she enjoys playing with Shafali.Shafali has been in terrific form, having returned to domestic cricket after being dropped from the Indian team in November last year. She finished as the top run-getter in the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy and the One Day Challenger Trophy.”I love batting with Shafali,” Lanning said. “She often puts on a very entertaining show, and I’ve got the best seat in the house watching from the other end most of the time. In the practice game, she did a very similar thing a few days ago. She looks like she’s in really good touch, and enjoying herself and having fun too, which I think is really important. So for me, just watching her play with freedom, express herself…when she does that, that plays a really important role for our team.”I always enjoy batting with her; we get on really well. Hopefully, this season can continue on through from where we have been the first two.”

The bails being used for WPL 2025 were found to be lighting up prematurely

Nagraj Gollapudi17-Feb-2025In the wake of the contentious run-out incidents during the last-ball thriller between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians on February 15, the WPL has notified teams that the Zing bail will need to be fully dislodged for umpires to judge that the wicket is broken in the context of run-out and stumping decisions.This means the pre-existing playing condition, which states that the stumps are deemed to be broken when the bails light up, will not be applicable in WPL 2025 going forward. Appendix D of the tournament playing conditions, which was shared with teams in the lead-up to the season, states: “where Zing wickets are used, the moment at which the wicket has been put down shall be deemed to be the first frame in which the Zing lights are illuminated and subsequent frames show the bail permanently removed from the top of the stumps.”ESPNcricinfo has learned that the reason for the rule change is that the batch of bails being used during this WPL have been lighting up at the slightest disturbance, even when both spigots have not come off the grooves on top of the stumps. Under the Laws of cricket, a bail is completely dislodged only when the bail comes entirely off the groove.Related

• Run-out calls in MI-DC game turn focus on rules around LED stumps

The BCCI has used Zing bails both in bilateral and domestic cricket including the IPL and WPL. Each bail contains a microprocessor that detects the moment when both spigots have come off their grooves, and causes the bail to light up within 1/1000th of a second. During this WPL, it is understood that the bails began to flash even when one spigot was still resting on its groove. Consequently it was decided that third umpires would base their final ruling on the moment when the bail becomes completely dislodged, with both spigots coming off their grooves.This was why Gayathri Venugopalan, the third umpire for the Capitals-Mumbai match, made her final ruling in the three run-out decisions – which led to widespread debate – based on the point when the bails were completely off their grooves.It is learned that the match officials were told about this rule change on the morning of the Capitals-Mumbai match, which was the second game of the season. The teams, though, were notified on the day after the match.

West Indies coach said the match officials admitted there were errors made during the first Test in Barbados

Andrew McGlashan02-Jul-2025West Indies coach Daren Sammy said that the match officials have admitted there were errors made during the first Test in Barbados, but insisted he holds no grudges against Adrian Holdstock, who will move from being the TV umpire to on-field in Grenada.Sammy was fined 15% of his match fee and handed a demerit point after he questioned the work of Holdstock, particularly decisions against Roston Chase and Shai Hope, adding he had held concerns from the recent England tour. Chase was also highly critical after the match but has escaped any ICC sanction.”I said I wouldn’t want my players to do that press conference because of the questions I think that would have been posted at them,” Sammy said. “I strongly believed in what I said.Related

• Sammy fined for criticising third umpire Holdstock

• Chase calls out 'so many questionable calls' in Barbados Test

“We’ve had further chats [with the officials]. They’ve clarified some stuff. There has been some admission of error as well. This was Barbados and we’re now in Grenada, so we’ve left that behind.”Asked whether he regretted his comments about Holdstock, Sammy said, “I don’t hold grudges. I said what I said, based on what I saw. I’ve been punished for it. I wish Adrian all the best, to be honest. I mean, we’re all human. I have nothing against the umpires. I really wish he has an awesome game.”Australia have not been drawn into any debate around the umpiring, although they have admitted they came out on the right side of it in Barbados. But Alex Carey had fears his diving catch to remove Hope would be given not out when he saw the replays on the big screen.Carey dived full-length to his left to take an inside edge off the bowling of Beau Webster from Hope, who was well-set on 48 in his first Test for three-and-a-half years. Carey was convinced he had taken the catch cleanly.West Indies were unhappy about Roston Chase’s lbw in Barbados•Randy Brooks/AFP/Getty Images

It was eventually confirmed as out by Holdstock. Earlier in the game, he had ruled a low catch by Hope from Travis Head in Australia’s first innings as not out.”I thought it was out straightaway, yes,” Carey said. “I wasn’t confident it was going to stay out when I saw the replay, to be honest. It’s been a really difficult shift in the third umpiring in what’s out and what’s not out. Your opinion is different to my opinion.”I thought that was a pretty difficult game, to have five, six, seven 50-50 examples for the third umpire. He’s not going to please everyone up there, but I thought he did a really good job. We obviously know the other side and the other camp was a little bit disappointed with some of them. I understand that.”But I did think it was out. I never thought I fumbled the ball or had any reason to question the decision. It was a pleasing one to take. A good batter as well, who was scoring some runs.”Holdstock will stand with Richard Kettleborough in Grenada and then with Nitin Menon in Jamaica. Kettleborough will be standing in his 93rd Test, going past David Shepherd’s count of 92 as the most by an English umpire.

Even after taking treatment, Pant looked in excruciating pain as he left the field

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-20251:15

Manjrekar: India introduced their spinners too late

India had to call on substitute wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel after Rishabh Pant was hit on the left hand in the second session of the first day of Lord’s Test when collecting a ball down the leg side. It resulted in a long break in play during which he received attention and treatment, but Pant couldn’t carry on beyond the end of the ongoing over, the 34th of Engand’s innings.Since 2017, the regulations of the game allow for a wicketkeeper to be substituted during the match, but the substitute is not allowed to bat. Since his debut, Pant has been India’s second-highest run-getter in Test cricket. He scored two hundreds in the first Test at Headingley, becoming the first wicketkeeper to do so after Andy Flower.In the 34th over at Lord’s, Bumrah ended up slipping a ball down the leg side. Pant went for it, but was hit on the index finger. Even after taking treatment, he looked in excruciating pain as he put his gloves back on.1:12

Manjrekar: Reddy looked like India’s best seamer

Jurel, who debuted in Pant’s absence in 2023-24, averaged 63.33 with the bat in his first series in 2023-24. Once Pant was back in the side, Jurel played one Test in Australia as a batter alone, aggregating 12 runs across two innings.The series was level 1-1 after England won in Leeds and India in Birmingham. Choosing to bat first ,only for the second time at home in the Bazball era, England were 93 for 2 when Pant got injured. Joe Root and Ollie Pope were the batters in the middle. Not only was the decision at toss a departure, their scoring rate and intent was also the lowest in the Bazball era.There will be a long break between the third and the fourth Tests. An update on Pant’s status and availability during the rest of the Test was awaited.

Australian allrounder hits 44 off 17 then takes three-for as sorry Phoenix lose again

ECB Media22-Aug-2025Welsh Fire claimed their first win of the Hundred’s fifth season at the sixth time of asking as Aussie allrounder Jess Jonassen inspired them to a comprehensive victory over Birmingham Phoenix at Edgbaston to end their hosts’ slim hopes of progressing to the Eliminator.Fire, last year’s runners-up, were playing for pride after five straight defeats extinguished their hopes of a top-three finish and they produced comfortably their best performance of the campaign so far, Jonassen delivering fireworks with the bat before returning figures of 3 for 24.The omens didn’t look good for Fire when Tammy Beaumont was bowled for 2 by a trademark inswinger from Megan Schutt, but a second-wicket stand of 71 between Sophia Dunkley (53 from 43) and Hayley Matthews, (34 not out from 33) laid strong foundations.Dunkley’s failed attempt at a sweep shot saw her bowled by Hannah Baker to leave Fire 99 for 2 before Jonassen upped the ante with a powerful knock of 44 from 17 balls. The experienced left-hander was particularly brutal against Baker, hitting four consecutive sixes in the legspinner’s final set to propel Fire to 150 for 3.Sophia Dunkley on her way to a half-century•Getty Images

In reply the Phoenix made a stuttering start, Shabnim Ismail (3 for 16) producing a beauty to castle Emma Lamb for a second-ball duck before trapping Marie Kelly lbw two deliveries later.Australian duo Georgia Voll (29 from 18) and Ellyse Perry (53 from 43) gave the innings impetus but Jonassen made another crucial intervention, bowling Voll with a nicely flighted delivery which deceived her compatriot in the air.Amy Jones swiftly followed, bowled by Matthews for a golden duck, before Perry gave the Phoenix a glimmer of hope, registering her first half-century of this summer’s competition.Sterre Kalis (15 from 16) briefly flickered, hitting Jonassen for a straight six, but she had her revenge two balls later when Kalis holed out to Ismail at long-on, and Ailsa Lister fell in identical fashion soon after to give her a third.Ismail returned to see off Perry, dismissed by a low catch from Georgia Elwiss at mid-off, and Matthews (3-21) did further damage as the Phoenix eventually limped to 114 for 9, slipping to the bottom of the table after suffering their fifth defeat in six.”We’ve been searching for a win all season. It’s nice that things clicked today,” Jonassen said. “We were probably just letting ourselves down a little with the bat, more so than anything, and it’s really nice we got a win today but with things still to improve on for the remaining matches. We’re really looking forward to getting back to Cardiff for our next game.”

Fast bowler says he is unable to commit to all formats “mentally and physically” at this stage of career

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2025Jamie Overton, the England and Surrey fast bowler who was a permanent member of the Test squad during this summer’s series against India, has announced an “indefinite break from red-ball cricket”. The decision effectively rules him out of this winter’s Ashes campaign, a development that has left his white-ball captain and Test team-mate, Harry Brook, “shocked”.Overton, 31, played the second and last of his two Tests at The Oval in July, claiming two second-innings wickets in England’s thrilling six-run loss. His previous match had come at Headingley in 2022, when he made a match-turning 97 in partnership with Jonny Bairstow, in the first summer of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s stewardship of the England team.Despite his infrequent appearances, Overton was a near-certainty to feature in England’s Ashes squad, given his sturdy build, strong action and ability to bowl at 90mph – all attributes that the selectors have been identifying in their bid to win in Australia for the first time since 2010-11.However, in an interview with the Telegraph, he spelt out his reasons for the shock decision, saying that at this stage of his career, it was “no longer possible to commit fully to all formats at every level, both physically and mentally”. He will be in Australia this winter, but as part of Adelaide Strikers’ squad in the Big Bash, a team with whom he has spent the past two seasons, and for whom he was named MVP earlier this year for his haul of 11 wickets and 191 runs at 95.50.Related

• England made to toil amid mishaps of their own making

• Wood targets Durham return in build-up to Ashes

• Hazlewood: England will bring an 'unbelievable' batting line-up for the Ashes

• Sonny Baker set for England ODI debut against South Africa

“After a great deal of thought, I have decided to take an indefinite break from red-ball cricket,” Overton said. “I feel very fortunate to have played 99 first-class matches, including two Test matches for England. Red-ball, first-class cricket has provided the foundation for my professional career and has been the gateway to every opportunity I’ve had in the game so far. It’s where I learnt the game, and it fuelled the goals and ambitions that have driven me for so long.”However, at this stage of my career, with the demands of cricket across a 12-month calendar, it’s no longer possible to commit fully to all formats at every level, both physically and mentally. Going forward, my focus will be on white-ball cricket, and I will continue to give everything to play at the highest level for as long as I can.”Overton is currently at Headingley, as part of England’s white-ball squad, with their first ODI against South Africa coming up on Tuesday. Speaking on the eve of the match, Brook admitted he was taken aback by the announcement, and its timing.”A little bit shocked to be honest,” Brook said. “I thought he did well in that last Test, he bowled quick. Obviously you’ve got to respect that decision that he’s going to have a little bit of a break from red-ball cricket. Hopefully at some point we’ll see him again in the future.Overton arrives at training ahead of the Headingley ODI•Getty Images

“I’d heard rumours but I hadn’t heard it from him until today. You’ve just got to respect the decision, he obviously doesn’t feel like he wants to play red-ball cricket at the minute and we can’t do anything about it. He’s made the decision now but it’s unfortunate. I thought he did really well in that last Test match and it would have been nice to have him there in the Ashes.”From his perspective as white-ball captain, however, Brook acknowledged that the singular focus could be of benefit to his team. “Absolutely,” he said. “When he is fully fit and firing he bowls thunderbolts and he can whack it out of the park. Hopefully he can upskill even more from what he’s got now and be the best white-ball player he can be.”Overton had only played once in the County Championship for Surrey this season before being recalled to the Test squad. Overall, he has made four first-class appearances for his county since the start of 2024, with injuries limiting his availability.Rob Key, England Men’s director of cricket, said: “Jamie’s news came unexpected and it is sad to see, as he would have been part of our red-ball plans for the foreseeable future. That said, it serves as a reminder of the cricketing landscape we now operate in. We respect his decision and are grateful to him for informing us when he did.”

Since eventually making his widely anticipated £32.5 million move to Liverpool this summer, many expected life for the Anfield faithful to be greatly improved in light of Chritian Benteke’s arrival at their club. The Belgian international seemingly provides power, pace and goals in the final third – which certainly remains somewhat of a premium in the Premier League nowadays.

However, after experiencing a rather flat start to the new campaign among Brendan Rodgers’ side, certain question marks may well be surrounding the player’s mind now that things haven’t quite worked out as rosy as many previously predicted for Liverpool. So far this term, the Reds have looked somewhat slow, distinctly uncreative and severely lacking when it comes to offering Benteke the service he needs to do the business up-top.

You would have thought a side like Liverpool – with all the money that has been spent at the club on transfers in recent windows – would have had enough about them to avoid such a frustrating outcome this season. As recent performances have displayed however, Brendan Rodgers’ attacking trio have remained almost as disjointed and isolated as the ill-fated likes of Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert proved at Anfield last season.

[ffc-gal cat=”liverpool” no=”5″]

So then, whilst the vast majority of the 2015/16 campaign admittedly remains to be decided at this stage in the proceedings, should Liverpool’s Christian Benteke already be regretting his recent move to Merseyside, or are improved fortunes just waiting around the corner for Reds supporters and the Belgian front-man alike?

Well, seeing as Brendan Rodgers remains the most pressured Premier League manager currently operating within the English top-flight at the moment, perhaps the former Aston Villa striker may well have been a tad hasty in deciding to leave Villa Park for Merseyside this summer. On the surface, Benteke has potentially joined a slowly sinking ship without a recognised captain on board to help his side successfully break the top-four this season.

The 24-year-old striker, who was nonetheless coveted by a whole host of other top-flight clubs this summer, seemingly joined the Reds on the pretence that Champions League football would soon on the horizon at Anfield. As Brendan Rodgers subsequently saw fit to pair Benteke up with the newly acquired Roberto Firmino – and hero of the 2014/15 campaign, Philippe Coutinho – all the cards were apparently in place for Liverpool to thrive in front of goal this term.

However, thanks partially to a lack of managerial quality from Rodgers himself, such a fairy-tale-like outcome simply hasn’t taken place for the Reds so far in 2015/16. For one reason or another, Liverpool still look short of scoring goals – and as Daniel Sturridge is yet to fully implement himself back within the first team set-up at Anfield – the immediate future doesn’t exactly look too promising for the Reds, as things currently stand.

Yet even though Liverpool are yet to truly show the full potential seemingly on offer from their expensively assembled squad this season, Christian Benteke simply has to hang in there now that his big decision to move to Merseyside has already been made.

If the former Villa Park favourite is struggling to reach a meaningful partnership with the likes of Firmino and Coutinho, then more work on the training ground simply has to be done among Liverpool’s current striking options. Each of the aforementioned players certainly possess the potential to be great together in the Premier League, so perhaps with a few more games collectively under their belts, the Anfield faithful will finally start seeing some improved results from their supposedly exciting front-men.

After all, Christian Benteke is a player who can seemingly score out of nowhere – that much was clearly obvious against Manchester United last time out. Liverpool shelled out just over £30 million on the Belgian striker this summer for a reason. He’s the man who has been tasked with doing the business in front of goal for his side this term – and even if his service remains somewhat lacking across the next few domestic fixtures – Benteke will still likely find goals from somewhere.

As the 24-year-old centre-forward undoubtedly provides an update on the likes of Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert for the Anfield faithful this season, there is no reason why the newly acquired striker won’t discover a rich vein of form sooner or later in Liverpool colours. It just seems inevitable more than anything else.

Ultimately then, although Liverpool’s current predicament up-top may need ironing out somewhat between matches, the long-term future nonetheless remains positive for the Reds with Christian Benteke solidly on board. He is simply a natural born goal-scorer who will get the job done one way or another – even if several other first team members of Rodgers’ starting XI remain startlingly sub-standard.

[ad_pod id=’fba’ align=’center’]

[ad_pod id=’eight’ align=’center’]

[ad_pod id=’ricco’ align=’center’]

Liverpool were one of the most active Premier League clubs in the summer transfer window.

With as many as seven new signings, there have been a lot of new additions to the top 10 highest paid Liverpool players. One interesting thing about Liverpool’s wage structure is that few of the highest earners are no longer preferred to be in the starting line-up.

If Liverpool decide to sell few of their out-of-favour players their wage bill will drastically decrease. But who are the big earners justifying their salary and who’s not quite doing enough to earn their crust.

Here’s a look at Liverpool’s top ten highest earners this season. Do you agree with their wage structure? Or are there some players at Anfield earning way too much, or way too little?

This article was submitted via our new Write For Us feature. Think you can do better? Submit your own article via the link below, and make sure you follow @FFC_WFU on Twitter for #RealOpinions…

10. Nathaniel Clyne – £70,000-a-week

9. Philippe Coutinho – £75,000-a-week

8. José Enrique- £75,000-a-week

7. Martin Skrtel – £75,000-a-week

6. Lucas Leiva – £80,000-a-week

5. Roberto Firmino – £100,000-a-week

4. Jordan Henderson – £100,000-a-week

3. Daniel Sturridge – £120,000-a-week

2. James Milner – £120,000-a-week

1. Christian Benteke – £140,000-a-week

The continuing decline of Premier League representatives in European competition has allowed people to once again speculate that England could lose the prized fourth Champions League spot. It’s seen as a privileged bonus and one that teams should fight to preserve. But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if England lost it for a while?At first that sounds like crazy talk. Why would anybody turn down a ticket for the best party in town? The problem is English teams have been the rowdy gate-crashers for some time. The flash big spenders that cause a lot of fuss and get sent home early with a headache. Throughout the decline of English teams’ performance in the Champions League the technical level of the Premier League has suffered. The two are interlinked.UEFA undoubtedly sell the Champions League to chairman as the financial yellow brick road. The pot available for distribution to participating clubs currently stands at €1.257bn per season. Couple that with the ever-increasing television deals the Premier League can secure, and suddenly English clubs are living by that favourite line primary school teachers like to use: It’s not the winning, it’s the taking part that counts.That’s not to say teams wouldn’t mind becoming champions of Europe, but it is just a bonus, secondary to collecting constant Champions League revenues. The current model has turned all English sides into the Aston Villa of Europe; they’re just happy to be there without attacking the root cause of their deficiencies.Finishing fourth in a domestic league should be sickening if you consider yourself to be a top club with title winning credentials. Instead it’s becoming more and more a case of job done for the regular protagonists that battle it out for Champions League spots. Arsene Wenger has a job for life, not because he has won titles in the last ten years but thanks to his ability to always ensure European qualification.

If the fourth place was taken away, then one year Arsenal or Manchester United could miss out. Instead of feeling like they’d completed their mission, all eyes would switch to taking the title. The only sure-fire way to ensure Champions League football would be to have a decent title challenge.

The following season they could rebuild and focus primarily on this task. The Europa League games would be given to a second string as the first team tried to take the crown.

This singular focus from a big club would evolve the technical level of the domestic game. Behind them teams that had been freed of the Europa League could bolster their domestic push. Instead of having an exciting league because the standards are dropping we’d have a quality league with the ability to dominate Europe again.

A similar repeat of last year’s performance in Europe by English clubs could see the Champions League allocation reduced for 2017/18. Next season is already set but if Italy have another decent run the Premier League should be scared. Last year the Italian coefficient was 19 to England’s 13.571. Already English teams have exited the Europa League and Juventus have beaten Manchester City at the Etihad.

Juventus are an example of a side that needed a reset before re-emerging as a European force, finishing as runners-up in last season’s European showcase.

Sometimes it’s necessary to take one step back to take several forward…

[ad_pod id=’ffc-survey’ align=’center’]

[ad_pod id=’writeforus’ align=’center’]

Everton have perhaps the most talented nucleus of young players on the continent plying their trade together at Goodison Park, as the likes of John Stones, Romelu Lukaku, Gerard Deulofeu and Ross Barkley continue to impress.

Still, the Toffees are not yet wholly convincing. A terribly leaky defence, including eight goals shipped at home in their last three games has consistently undermined their attacking prowess this term. Shot stopper Tim Howard seems to have suffered an alarming dip in form, while the continued absence of Phil Jagielka has not helped matters.

The manner in which the Merseyside club dealt with Chelsea’s pursuit of John Stones over the summer was encouraging, allowing Roberto Martinez and those behind the scenes to focus on buying players to aid their cause, rather than the onus being on who is about to leave.

On paper, the squad is more than good enough to challenge the top six. Lukaku is amongst the best strikers in the league, while Stones and Deulofeu continue to get better and better.

With some additions, Martinez can guide this young team into the top six.

How will he get there? Well signing any of these FIVE will help…

DAVID MARSHALL

Tim Howard’s alarming dip in form has been well documented this season, as the American custodian has repeatedly flapped at a cross or failed to appropriately clear his lines. Though he has served the club with distinction in his nine years there, perhaps he is on the wane.

Cardiff City stopper David Marshall has been touted as his potential replacement, as the Scot earned many a plaudit during the Bluebirds’ brief stint in the Premier League. The 30-year old was named in the Sky Sports Team of the Year despite facing relegation, giving you an idea of just how admirably he performed.

He’s amassed a wealth of top level experience during his time with Celtic and the Scottish national team and remains an athletic stopper even into his 30s. Would be a more dependable option than Diego Lopez, cheaper than Jack Butland and no doubt an improvement on Howard in his current state.

SAM BYRAM

Leeds youngster Sam Byram looks set to leave the Yorkshire Giants this month after rejecting a new deal with his boyhood club. The versatile 22-year old has been linked with a raft of Premier League teams as a result, after a series of impressive performances made him one of the hottest talents outside of the top tier.

Able to play anywhere up the right flank, Byram would be a natural fit at Goodison Park. A fine athlete, he would be both excellent cover as well as competition, for Seamus Coleman. With Tony Hibbert coming to the end of his career, Martinez should look to increase his options at right-back.

Young, hungry and comfortable carrying the ball forward, the Toffees could do a lot worse than splashing out for Byram. Look how well John Stones turned out when he arrived from Barnsley, after all.

CALUM CHAMBERS

Another young English defender thought to be under consideration is Arsenal’s Calum Chambers. The 20-year old has seen his career progress somewhat stall after the emergence of Hector Bellerin, as the former Southampton man looks to get back on track.

The Toffees defence has looked incredibly shaky at times and the addition of a gifted, young, versatile defender would be wise. Alongside Stones, Ramiro Funes Mori and Phil Jagielka, Chambers could form a dynamic pairing at the heart of the Everton defence.

Perhaps a move away from Arsenal can help the player get back to his best, which would be some prospect for Everton should they land him.

INAKI WILLIAMS

Having emerged as one of the brightest talents in Spanish football, Atletico Bilbao starlet Inaki Williams has been talked about as a potential target.

Should Everton follow up their reported interest in the Spanish under-21 international, it would be quiet the statement of intent.

Though his buyout clause is understood to be in the region of €20m, a hefty sum of money for a 21 year-old, Williams has the potential to go on to great things in the game.

Now the £28m for Lukaku is reaping the rewards, Williams might just be a gamble worth taking if Everton want to sustain their attempts to break into the top four for the first time in a decade.

If Stoke can sign Xherdan Shaqiri, Bournemouth sign Juan Iturbe and Crystal Palace land Yohan Cabaye, anything can happen.

DENIS CHERYSHEV

Aiden McGeady and Kevin Mirallas have both been linked with move away from Merseyside this month, as they search for first team football ahead of Euro 2016.

Despite Arouna Kone forming a decent partnership with Lukaku, the wide forward department may be a little light should the frustrated duo be afforded the chance to leave.

Perhaps making a move for Real Madrid winger Denis Cheryshev, who has frustrations ahead of next summer’s showpiece in France of his own, could help balance the squad out while please all parties.

Lining the ex-Villarreal loan star up on the opposing flank to Deulofeu, either side of Ross Barkley is a potentially mouth-watering prospect.

Securing the Madridista, even on a six-month loan deal, would boost the attacking ranks at Goodison Park and give a speedy, direct option in contrast to the more technical Deulofeu on the right.