Isco, Sami Khedira and James Rodriguez prove Everton transfer targets have changed

Carlo Ancelotti has already managed to change a lot at Everton.

From the outside looking in others might see the club sitting in a similar position in the Premier League table, chasing a similar goal as other managers have attempted in the past.

But the summer transfer window proved to be a turning point for a lot of supporters on the blue half of Merseyside, continuing a trend which begun back in December 2019.

The arrival of one of Europe's most respected, qualified and successful managers at Goodison Park was undoubtedly the biggest appointment the club had made in its long and storied history.

It showed that Farhad Moshiri was determined in his ambition to make Everton a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League. If Ancelotti can't achieve that aim, then surely no-one could?

Along with that appointment, though, there had to be changes made.

It became clear across the closing stages of the 2019/20 campaign that the squad was in dire need of improvement in key areas.

The club have perhaps been guilty of overspending in the past, but if you're going to bring in a manager with the calibre of Ancelotti then you need to give him all the backing he desires.

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Smart signings such as Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Ben Godfrey - covering positions Everton needed most - were to be expected as they made their moves in the transfer window.

However, there was also the signing different to anything the club have managed to secure before. It was potentially the biggest transfer - in terms of worldwide profile - the club have ever pulled off.

James Rodriguez coming to Merseyside, the same player who lit up the 2014 World Cup with dazzling displays of genius, has now set a benchmark for others that follow.

The Blues are now a destination that some of the world's most prominent stars can genuinely consider, primarily because of the man at the helm.

Rodriguez has worked with Ancelotti before, of course, and it's the Italian's strong man-management techniques which make him so well-respected by the majority of his former charges.

And now it's seen Everton linked with a different calibre of player as we head into the January transfer window.

One of the most common names rumoured to be interesting the Blues as they look to improve this winter is Isco.

A Real Madrid playmaker, unhappy with his current game time at the Bernabeu, looking to find pastures new to prove himself once again - and someone who has worked with Ancelotti before.

Sound familiar?

The Everton boss initially remained coy about the rumours when asked about them in early November, before moving to strongly deny them as the month progressed.

Of course, he did the same thing with the Rodriguez rumours when they were abound in the summer - so perhaps time will tell.

But he's not the only high-calibre player being linked with a transfer to Goodison Park in January.

Sami Khedira is another star who played under Ancelotti with the La Liga giants and has been quoted discussing a potential switch away from Juventus.

The World Cup winner is keen to work with the Blues boss again, but the 61-year-old admitted it was a different prospect if he wanted to bring him to Merseyside.

It's not just players that Ancelotti has previously worked with though, as links to Samuel Umtiti more recently have proven.

The Barcelona defender is yet to play under former Everton manager Ronald Koeman and is another World Cup winner who could potentially look for a new home.

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Under Marcel Brands particularly over the last few seasons, the Blues seemed to have a clear transfer policy.

That revolved around spending money wisely on players in a certain age bracket, and saw a lot of success in the summer of 2018, but faltered a little more a year later.

Those plans haven't flown out the window, in fact the signing of Godfrey in particular would fall into that bracket. A good player now, but someone with a clear amount of potential to grow even more.

What you're now seeing, however, is the door potentially being opened to Everton being linked to a higher calibre of player. Those who might be at their peak or looking to re-find their best form, but ones with huge profiles in world football.

Under the likes of Marco Silva, Sam Allardyce or even a legendary past player in Koeman, the Blues couldn't really have dreamed of being in this position.

So the links to Isco, Khedira, Umtiti and more will probably continue over the coming weeks and months. They will not be the only high-profile stars rumoured to be interesting Everton.

Whether they fit in at the club is another matter. Whether they will improve the chance for silverware and the quest for Europe in the short term will undoubtedly be the key factor.

But they wouldn't be possible without Ancelotti. His arrival has turned the Blues around an intriguing corner in the transfer window.

How the club deals with their new position will be interesting to see.