Everton have fallen by the wayside these past few years, with mismanagement from the top, and woeful showings on the pitch, Goodison Park has been sapped of its vitality and faces the daunting prospect of relegation from the Premier League.
The Blue side of Merseyside has been left shaking like a leaf, and despite the managerial appointment of Sean Dyche in January, and subsequently collecting home victories over Arsenal and Brentford, recently demolishing high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion 5-1 on the south coast, the Toffees remain just one point above the murky water of the bottom three with two matches to play.
If top-flight status is preserved once again, Dyche will have his work cut out in merging aptitude on the transfer front with application on the pitch and burnishing the club's image will require an unflappable resolve from all affiliated.
One sure-fire way to set the cogs into motion is to make good of recent rumours attributing interest from Everton owner Farhad Moshiri in rising Arsenal star Folarin Balogun, who has been flourishing out on loan in Ligue 1 with Reims this season.
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, writing for GIVEMESPORT last month, Everton are 'among a very long list of clubs keeping tabs on Balogun', who wishes to seek a "different kind of challenge" this summer with the Gunners unable to promise him regular minutes.
Should Everton sign Folarin Balogun?
Hailed as a "goal scoring machine" by journalist Garland Gillen, the 21-year-old has indeed been in emphatic form this term, plundering 20 goals and three assists from 36 matches across all competitions with that seeing Arsenal raise his asking price to over €40m (£35m).
The previous campaign, the highly-rated young forward landed three goals and assists apiece from only nine starts for Middlesbrough in the Championship, with the first half of the term within the Premier League 2 leaving the ace with 13 goals from just 11 matches.
As per FBref, the 13-cap England U21 international – with seven goals – already ranks among the top 27% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues for rate of non-penalty goals per 90, also ranking among the top 7% for non-penalty xG and the top 9% for total shots won.
The £31k-per-week gem is certainly a "frightening" talent, as hailed by journalist Paul Brown, and although he does not yet boast the refined prolific edge that comes with confidence and experience, his staggering haul during his first full season at top level illustrates his remarkable capabilities.
He is listed as a comparable player to Liverpool star Darwin Nunez, as per FB ref, who has been a mercurial and electric forward on Merseyside since his club-record £85m arrival from Benfica in the summer, albeit wasteful and unquestionably the unfinished article.
Nunez scored 34 times from 41 matches for Águias last season, and while he boasts 15 goals and four assists from only 26 starting appearances for Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool this term, he has been branded as "too wasteful" by the likes of club legend Robbie Fowler.
Both forwards bear a semblance in their knack of finding opportune moments in the offensive third to strike, with the Uruguayan ranking among the top 1% of positional peers for non-penalty xG and the top 2% for total shots per 90.
Time will tell if either star will blossom into the full scope of their skill set, but Balogun has certainly taken the right early strides and could yet lead Everton to glory as their 'frightening' new talisman.