Everton’s best starting line-up - now the summer transfer window has closed

The transfer window has slammed shut - and it proved to be a fairly busy one for Everton.

There were always expected to be plenty of incomings and outgoings at Goodison Park this summer after the Toffees narrowly avoided Premier League relegation last season.

In total, Frank Lampard recruited eight players. On deadline day, Idrissa Gueye returned to the club from PSG while James Garner was signed from Manchester United.

Meanwhile, James Tarkowski, Ruben Vinagre, Conor Coady, Amadou Onana, Dwight McNeil and Neal Maupay were added to the squad.

And although Everton may have sold Richarlison to Tottenham Hotspur, they did manage to keep Anthony Gordon.

Lampard cannot now add to his set-up until January and prepares for his first Merseyside derby at Goodison against Liverpool on Saturday.

The Blues currently have several players out injured for the clash,

But if Lampard ever has the luxury of a fully-fit squad, debate will rage about who would be named in the strongest XI.

With that in mind, we’ve selected what our starting line-up would be.

Goalkeeper - Jordan Pickford

The berth between the posts is firmly his. Pickford could well captain Everton on several occasions and he'll be aiming to keep his England No.1 spot ahead of the World Cup in November.

Right-back - Nathan Patterson

One of the Toffees' most impressive players so far this season. He shackled Leeds United winger Jack Harrison superbly in Tuesday's 1-1 draw. Patterson is only going to get better but it likely to be rotated with Seamus Coleman more often as the seasons continues.

Centre-back - Conor Coady

Added a vast amount of leadership and experience to the defence. Also proved he can play in a flat back-four rather than in a three-man defence against Leeds.

Centre-back - James Tarkowski

A steal of a signing on a free transfer from Burnley. Tarkowski and Coady could forge a formidable partnership in the rearguard. They do have strong competition when everyone is fit, though, from Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina.

Left-back - Vitalii Mykolenko

The Ukrainian perhaps may be better suited to playing as a conventional full-back rather than a wing-back. He has competition from Ruben Vinagre but it's Mykolenko's spot to lose at the moment.

Centre-midfield - Idrissa Gueye

Everton have been desperate for someone to fill the number-six void ever since he left three years ago. Now Gueye is back and despite being aged 32, will improve the Blues' engine room markedly. He's been rubbing shoulders with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, after all.

Centre-midfield - Amadou Onana

The £33 million signing from Lille looks an astute bit of business. Onana has plenty of raw attributes and will only improve aged 21. Having Gueye behind him will allow the Belgium international more of a licence to get forward. James Garner could also slot into the role.

Centre-midfield - Alex Iwobi

The Nigeria international simply has to be in the starting XI. Iwobi has played in almost every position during his remarkable turnaround under Lampard.

He’s been playing as a deep-lying midfielder this season but it’s thought he will be even better when he finds attacking areas more frequently.

Right-wing - Anthony Gordon

Everton staved off strong interest from Newcastle, Tottenham and Chelsea to keep Gordon at Goodison.

The academy product has scored in successive games and looks to continue his already hurtling progress.

Striker - Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Lampard will be desperate to get the England international back fit.

Calvert-Lewin hasn’t played so far this season after picking up a calf injury on the eve of the campaign.

However, when at his best, he is Everton’s undisputed centre-forward although he now has Maupay for competition.

Left-wing - Demarai Gray

The former Leicester City wide man already has two goals this season. That could well have been three but for a razor-thin offside decision against Leeds. Everton have decent wide options with McNeil and Iwobi also capable of playing in the role, while Andros Townsend continues his recovery from an ACL injury.