Everton's demise as a large footballing institution has been abysmal since Farhad Moshiri took over the club in 2016.
The Iranian business was supposed to build on the solid foundations laid down by Bill Kenwright and propel the Toffees towards European qualification.
Instead, Moshiri has led the club on a downward spiral having gone from challenging the Premier League's big six prior to his arrival to now battling against the prospect of relegation.
One reason for their implosion has been their deplorable and quite frankly, inexcusable transfer activity that has seen the club very rarely strike gold in the transfer market.
The likes of Jean Philipe-Gbamin, Cenk Tosun, Sandro Ramirez and Yannick Bolasie – a list that is by no means exhaustive – have all been signed across Moshiri's tenure and demonstrate how excruciatingly painful Everton's transfer strategy has been, misfiring from all cylinders and chronically overspending on underperforming talent.
€49.4m (£42.9m)
€39.2 (£34m)
€35m (£30m)
€30.4m (£26.4m)
€30.3m (£26.3m)
While these constant misfires on the transfer front are a present normality, it hasn't always been this way at Goodison Park.
Before this challenging chapter, Everton were incredibly savvy and astute with their business, and John Stones was one of many gems to arrive for a nominal fee before being sold for millions down the line.
The Englishman spent an exceptional three and a half years on Merseyside and developed into one of England's finest ball-playing defenders during his time at the club.
How much did Everton sign John Stones for?
In February 2013, David Moyes snapped up Stones from Championship side Barnsley for a fee in the region of £3m.
Stones, who was 18 years old at the time, had caught the eye for how comfortable he was at bringing the ball out from defence, showing elegance in possession and stroking the ball around the field with such grace.
During this period in the second tier, it was uncommon for defenders to be comfortable and calm on the ball, however, the sensational ball-playing abilities of the youngster stuck out like a sore thumb and in an interview with the Daily Mail in 2017, he revealed that he was coached into playing that way in the youth teams at Oakwell.
He said: "But it was also there, in the youth teams at Barnsley, when I was first taught to express myself as a defender by my coaches, Ronnie Branson and Mark Burton.
"I'd be 13 or 14 and Ronnie and Mark loved how Barcelona played and they tried to bring that to our youth team. I am massively biased but I think our youth team was brilliant.
"We did have those aspects and principles of how Barcelona played: splitting wide from goal kicks, trying to play out, keeping the ball on the deck, all those fundamental things that they researched and embedded into all of us."
Whilst he didn't know it then, this was where they started preparing him with the fundamentals to play for Pep Guardiola.
How many appearances did John Stones make for Everton?
In three full seasons at Everton, Stones made 95 appearances as the arrival of Robert Martinez in August 2013 orchestrated his rapid rise to stardom.
The Spaniard instantly fell in love with his sublime ball-playing abilities, and it was those sorts of qualities that aligned towards the easy-on-the-eye style deployed by the manager, encouraging his defenders to progress play from the back.
At Goodison Park, Stones was an integral cog in Everton's machine and this was demonstrated in the 2014/15 season as he claimed the Young Player of the Year award after featuring 23 times in the Premier League at the age of 20.
Those who watched the youngster closely knew he was going to be a generational talent, including former Chelsea and England defender John Terry.
In an interview with talkSPORT [via ESPN] in 2015, Terry aimed to fuel rumours over a potential move to Chelsea by lavishing on the 21-year-old's talents.
He said: "He is exceptional with both feet, he is a ball-playing centre half which you need to be these days.
"He is extremely confident. He looks to play from the back and that can only be good for English football that the likes of him are coming through. He is definitely one I have been impressed by."
During his time on Merseyside, he attracted the interest of several big clubs but it was Guardiola who snapped him up for £47.5m in 2016, making him the second most expensive defender in history at the time.
How good is John Stones?
For Manchester City, Stones has elevated his fluidity in possession to new heights by operating in a duel role, both as part of a double pivot when Guardiola's side are on the ball and as a centre-back without it.
The Spaniard's ingenuity has seen him revolutionise the modern game through his various different tactical nuances. In the early stages of his tenure in Manchester, he used Fernandinho as a centre-back, but more recently has invented the role of an inverted full-back with Cancelo and the use of a centre-back in midfield with Stones.
On the evidence of their exceptional treble-winning campaign last term, the latter of those three nuances was the most successful with the 29-year-old appearing 34 times for the club.
Becoming one of the best defenders in Europe and praised by Jamie Carragher for his "sensational" performance in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester United, the Englishman reached the pinnacle of his powers last term.
When comparing his metrics against his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues in the past year as per FBref, he ranks in the top 1% for pass completion, top 10% for aerials won and top 22% for carries per 90, demonstrating all the ingredients present that make him a world-class modern centre back while completely eclipsing the ability of Everton's current star defender, James Tarkowksi.
How has James Tarkowski performed this season?
A no-nonsense defender, who thrives in winning the physical battle against attackers, Tarkowski is the perfect example of what a Sean Dyche centre-back should look like.
A strong, imposing, battle-hardened and imperious defender all rolled into one, the 30-year-old has been one of Everton's most integral players, especially this season.
The former Burnley player has excelled in the defensive department, putting his body on the line and marshalling a defence that faces a lot of pressure.
In the Premier League this term, Tarkowski ranks in the top 1% for blocks, top 14% for aerials won and top 20% for interceptions which emphasises how his natural defensive abilities are sought after in the Toffees battle against relegation.
While he will never come close to eclipsing what Stones has achieved in his career, the monstrous centre-back deserves to receive plaudits in his own right.