In January David Moyes was appointed Everton manager for the second time with the club one point above the relegation zone.
Eight months later and the club have turned a significant corner, avoiding the drop by 23 points, moving to the state-of-the-art Hill Dickinson Stadium and bringing in nine players in a summer of record recruitment.
No side have picked up more points than Everton since the start of May, and they sit fifth in the Premier League.
BBC Sport examines the reasons for Everton's revival.
The biggest challenge facing Everton this summer was how best to overhaul a threadbare squad following the departure of nine senior players, including first-team regulars Abdoulaye Doucoure, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jack Harrison and Ashley Young.