Everton will enter the new year with fresh momentum on and off the pitch. The takeover by The Friedkin Group has removed the uncertainty, and instability, at the top that had seeped into every aspect of the club.

Attention is already being paid to a number of key objectives - new Blues executive chairman Marc Watts may have flown home after watching the draw with Chelsea but the work has not stopped for anyone as the Friedkins look to grow into their new life as owners of a Premier League club.

Chief among their priorities is the exploration of a naming rights deal for Everton’s new stadium. Watts and his delegation were present for the ceremonial handover of the keys to the stunning waterfront venue just before Christmas and, make no mistake, they know the importance and value of Liverpool’s Fourth Grace.

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As they continue their complex mission to build a stadium for Everton’s now-sister club Roma, their new landmark on the banks of the Mersey is an opportunity that was part of the attraction of the Blues and one they are now seeking to exploit commercially.

Other key tasks already underway include the hunt for a permanent chief executive. Colin Chong remains in that role for now and is respected by his new bosses - so much so it is expected they will seek to retain his experience even after they appoint his replacement on the board.

There is no rush on that front. Of all the lessons The Friedkin Group have learnt in their four years in charge of Roma, the biggest is that hiring the right people, for the right roles is absolutely crucial. It is why they will carefully assess the roles of director of football Kevin Thelwell and manager Sean Dyche, both of whom are out of contract in the summer. Getting the jigsaw pieces in place is important and timing is too, but neither more so than making the correct call.

When it comes to those who are currently scheduled to leave the club in the summer, Seamus Coleman is one of the most important calls that Thelwell, should he be given the chance to build a squad with the new-found financial stability that has felt a distant dream during the entirety of his life on Merseyside, will have to make.

Coleman turned 36 in October and has had his season blighted by injury. But no figure is as influential to the psyche of the dressing room as the club captain who has been a key character at Everton for 15 years. No figure at the club is as revered and respected by the fanbase as Coleman and he is someone who can and should take immense pride in the role he has played in helping the Blues to survive the chaos of recent years.

Jordan Pickford may have had the biggest role on the pitch, with injury limiting Coleman’s ability to feature during times of need. But the Irishman has remained an ever-present and while the content of his rousing dressing room speeches at key moments remains unknown, that his delivery of them has inspired the team at its lowest moments is crystal clear.

For Coleman, the takeover is welcome but cannot be a distraction from the task at hand, which is to ensure the club reaches its new home in a healthy state. The development is clearly a relief to him, though.

“It's great and it's exciting for the fans and all the rest and it's something that we needed,” he said when we spoke as part of his media duties in the corridors deep inside the Etihad after his pivotal role in the draw at Manchester City, only his second league start of the season. “But as of now and for the next three or four months it's not going to change in the dressing room. We need to worry about results and worry about games and make sure that Everton are okay going into the stadium next season.

“Fingers crossed it can be better times ahead because it's been a tough three or four years for everyone involved. I'm proud of the fans in that time but also the lads in there. We never give up and I know sometimes we can get battered and sometimes we get praised but there's a real togetherness in there and we understand the size of the football club we are playing for.”

No-one understands that more than Coleman and his maturity and inspiration remains as key now as it ever has been. Whatever happens in the future, and whatever role the financial boost of the new stadium, or the nous of a new CEO, or the stability provided by the Friedkins provides to this great club, Coleman is someone whose role in helping Everton survive long enough to see better days should not be forgotten.