For a period in the mid-1980s Everton could convincingly boast of having the world’s finest goalkeeper. They could present a compelling argument for being the best team around, too.
These were not mutually exclusive phenomena. No danger, then, of the Club of Neville Southall overlooking the potentially seismic impact on a team of a first-rate keeper.
In this respect, Everton have remained ahead of the game. When they needed a new number one last summer, the Club acted swiftly and decisively. They identified England’s most talented and promising goalkeeper and did not baulk at stumping up a British-record fee for a stopper to get him.