Everton manager Ronald Koeman has suggested that the team will be able to compete with the top six of the Premier League following the club's spending spree in the transfer market.
The blue half of Merseyside have spent almost £100m on bringing in Jordan Pickford, Davy Klaassen, Henry Onyekuru, Sandro Ramirez and Michael Keane.
Among the new arrivals is Wayne Rooney, who returned to his boyhood club at the weekend from Manchester United on a two-year deal.
Last season, the Toffees finished seventh in the league table, with champions Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United above them.
"It is still too soon to talk about top four; what we'd like to do is continue what we did last season," Koeman told reporters during Rooney's official unveiling this afternoon.
"Everyone is trying to get the best players. The big six in the Premier League will spend money as well but it is a good signal to everybody that we are on board and will try to give them that competition that we didn't last season.
"Everybody knows you cannot do that in one season. The first season [the aim] was to try to play good football and get good results but now we need to make the next step to get the type of players in who can use that pressure and the qualities we need to improve."
Amid all the incomings, Everton have sold Romelu Lukaku, who completed a move to Manchester United for £75m today.
Danielle Joynson
