Use your head and sign up now for the Everton FC newsletter Sign up now Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

According to Bill Kenwright, Farhad Moshiri dreams of playing fantasy football with Everton.

“He sits there in front of Sky Sports and says ‘we’ll get him, we’ll get him’” he told Wednesday night’s General Meeting.

Well, that’s the dream.

The reality, for now at least, is that Everton must approach the transfer market in a different way and though Moshiri still wants those marquee signings, maybe, they’ll have to wait.

There’s money to be spent, more than any other Everton manager has ever seen, but its value is all relative when you consider the current pecking order in the Premier League.

Or as Moshiri said himself, the difference between the elite teams and the rest.

And as Everton found to their cost in the summer, when they went head-to-head with those clubs for targets, they’ll miss out.

It’s only a matter of time before Everton break their transfer record, of course, but even in smashing through the £30m barrier and handing out £100,000-a-week contracts, they’ll only be able to get so much.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

What Ronald Koeman is doing right now is jump-starting a side that finished 11th in back-to-back seasons with experienced, proven players who can make an immediate difference.

But, and to borrow another of Moshiri’s phrases, it’s not sustainable.

The goalposts have moved since Chelsea and Manchester City bankrolled their way to success. Financial Fair Play has capped unregulated splurges and so Moshiri and Everton must find other, smarter ways of building a squad capable of challenging the top four - the elite - on a consistent basis.

LISTEN:

Enter Ademola Lookman.

Or more transfers of that type.

Everton have still spent decent money on the 19-year-old, it’s a deal worth in excess of £10m and comfortably puts him in the top 10 most expensive signings the club have ever made, but in context of modern day football, it’s an increasingly normal transfer fee.

But it’s the way the Blues have to conduct business.

By signing youngsters from the Football League such as John Stones, Mason Holgate and Brendan Galloway, Everton have been operating along such lines for the past few years but on a different scale to the Lookman transfer.

While spending £25m on Yannick Bolasie and over £20m on Morgan Schneiderlin is what the Everton team needs at this moment, the belief, and hope, is that Lookman will look a snip at half the price in a few years time.

Arsenal, for example, were doing this 10 years ago.

Football took a sharp intake of breath when the Gunners announced they’d agreed a £12.5m deal with Southampton for Theo Walcott in January 2006, and eyebrows were raised when they went back to the South Coast five years later and wrapped up the £15m transfer of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Like Lookman, they’d never played in the top flight.

Spurs did the same in 2007, agreeing to pay £10m for a 17-year-old Gareth Bale. Everyone knows what happened after that.

So while Moshiri may yearn to one day be able to tell the Everton manager he can pick and choose from some of the very best players in world football, he knows the smart thing for the club to do is invest in the players of tomorrow, today.

Why one Everton fan has had enough of Premier League football

If you'd like to read why Evertonian Peter Farrell refused to pay into every Premier league ground, in his protest for more fairness to fans, then take note.

Peter was in St. Luke's Church signing copies of his book 'Give The Fans Sweet FA' before the derby last month, and will be back again tomorrow.

If you didn't manage to get one last time, he will be back for one final time before the game against Leicester. Catch him at St Luke's Church from 1pm.

Peter's book has had plenty of five star worldwide reviews on Amazon.

You can order 'Give The Fans Sweet FA' here.