I hope you and your loved ones had a great Christmas - and were able to enjoy as best as possible a Boxing Day without an Everton game to enjoy.

Tonight is our final outing at Goodison Park before we wave farewell to what has been a tumultuous 2023.

I am writing this just a few days after the emotional and very touching memorial service for our Chairman. A passionate and devoted Evertonian, he will be greatly missed.

It was a touching service, attended by so many former players and supporters of our club. And, from a personal perspective, it was a poignant reminder of what makes this club so special.

And I know, had he been with us to savour it, the Chairman would have marvelled at the way in which the Club has responded to the most unprecedented adversity in the past six weeks. It has been a period in which everybody associated with our club has reacted with such passion. The love and devotion for Everton shared by the players, staff and fans has shone brightly. And it gives us something to build on into 2024.

When I spoke earlier this year to Mark Chapman and Giulia Bould for the BBC’s Nothing Will Be The Same podcast, I talked about the vision underpinning the football strategy that has been developed and evolved since I arrived at the Club. One of the key ingredients in that strategy has been to ensure every decision aligns with Everton’s DNA.

Sometimes, the make-up of that DNA can be hard to put into words, although we all understand what it means. The past six weeks has exemplified it.

That Everton DNA has shone through in team performances, in the support of fans and in the strides taken to move the Club forward - together.

From my first day in the privileged position as Director of Football at this club, I have been in no doubt as to the parameters within which I must work.

Pragmatism has been a watchword, when working to support the manager in enhancing and developing the squad. And, as we approach the opening of the mid-season transfer window, that very much remains the case.

Financial prudence is crucial to protect the long-term security of the Club. In the three transfer windows we have navigated since I arrived, we are in a positive position in terms of net spend. And the wage bill has been significantly reduced.

Nevertheless, through the hard work of a host of key staff across all our footballing departments, we have a much more balanced squad - with a great deal of potential still to be fulfilled. A group of players who complement each other and work together as a team in a way that may not have been as evident two years ago.

The evolution of a squad can be a challenge when fiscal prudence is also a key factor. But progress and financial diligence can be delivered together.

And so, as we look to January, I can assure you that, whilst there may not be a great deal of transfer business taking place in the coming weeks, it does not mean the hard work is not continuing.

I have been keen to manoeuvre the Club into a position whereby we are planning two or three transfer windows ahead - not two or three weeks.

And being reactive, whilst sometimes inevitable in football, is not a healthy permanent state within which to operate as a club.

In that context, January is unlikely to be a busy month here. But hard work is ongoing to ensure a squad that has performed consistently well this season can continue to evolve and develop this season, in the summer and beyond.

Of course, if we feel an opportunity arises in this window for a player we have earmarked and we believe that moving now would deliver an immediate boost to the squad in the short-term, we will explore such an opportunity. But please, don’t be drawn in by the inevitable daily churn of social media rumour and conjecture - as enticing as I know such chat can be. This is likely to be a low-key transfer window for Everton.

I know that message may not be the most exciting festive update. But it is important that I be completely honest and transparent.

We have a great group of players, working consistently hard for a manager who has navigated the most challenging of periods expertly.

The mood at the training ground has mirrored the atmosphere in the stadium - that Everton DNA permeates everything we are doing.

2024 is an exciting year as we look ahead. Together, we will continue to push forward.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kevin