Jordan Pickford journey serves as warning for Friedkins as Everton failure examined

Jordan Pickford is set to enter his 10th season as an Everton player, and quite frankly, not much has changed since the start.

Preparation is alerady underway behind the scenes at Everton as they look to improve on last season's 13th-placed finish in the Premier League.

With the World Cup nearly upon us, there is a limited amount of work that can be done ahead of their return to action, though recruitment plans will certainly be a priority.

Everton need an injection of fresh quality if they are able to progress next season and qualify for European football for the first time since they conmpeted in the Europa League in 2018.

And having failed to do so last season, a very important question must be posed to The Friedkin Group.

What is the ambition at Everton?

New owners very rarely arrive and state their ambitions for the club to a league position, though their decisions often make it clear as to what they are.

But for The Friedkin Group, they have yet to showcase that, and it has been the case in past ownerships ever since Pickford arrived at the club.

For context, the England international will have played just one season of European football for the Toffees by the end of the next campaign, which is the same amount as he would have had if he had stayed at Sunderland nine years ago.

That is despite the fact that the Black Cats have been out of the top flight for eight of those years.

It demonstrates the lack of progress made by the Toffees within that time period.

What do Everton need to do to reach the next level?

First and foremost, Everton need to make the most of the summer transfer window.

The arrival of a striker capable of scoring goals but also influencing games when he isn't has to be the top priority, with other areas also in need of attention.

A new right-back is a must, while the Toffees must also ensure that they have adequate depth across the board.

Without that, there is little to no chance of there being any signs of progression anytime soon.