Everton; the loanee and the local.
I doubt many football fans would have expected Everton to be amongst the pacesetters this season. With a change of Manager it may have been a case of, 'lets see how we go,' but new boss Roberto Martinez isn't new to the Premiership and has got to work straight away.
One of his first signings was to loan Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea. I must admit I was surprised he was allowed to go after scoring seventeen goals for West Bromwich Albion while on loan last season. It looks as though 'the special one' wants the young Belgian to get more experience; Chelsea's loss is the Toffees' gain.
As he proved last season, he can be a real handful and with the service he'll get from his team mates he is bound to get on the score sheet more often than not.
His career in an Everton top could not have started better, he scored the winner at West Ham and got a brace against Newcastle, he should score at least twenty goals this season without a shadow of doubt.
From what I've seen of him he looks an honest player. When he received a yellow card for what looked a fifty fifty challenge was harsh to say the least.
He'll learn from seasoned professionals like Gareth Barry, Leon Osman and Leighton Baines to mention but a few.
Now it's every footballers dream to play for his hometown club and that's no different for Ross Barkley. He signed for them at the tender age of just eleven! His talent and progress meant by the time he was fifteen he was a regular in the under eighteen side.
In two thousand and ten Manager David Moyes, who'd overseen a lot of his development, gave him his first team debut. The young man from Merseyside fulfilled one of his dreams.
Following a triple leg break, and like a lot of youngsters these days he was sent out on loan, Sheffield Wednesday taking him on. Thirteen appearances for the Owls and scoring four goals in the process helped his confidence go sky high!
Moyes and Martinez aren't the only ones that noticed Barkley's rise; England Manager Roy Hodgson has used the attacking midfielder in the England side.
Sir Alex Ferguson had the right idea that 'if you're good enough you're old enough,' and Moyes and Martinez also follow that.
The job David Moyes has done at Everton shows what a great football Manager he is. He was involved in all levels of the club and the man that's replaced him is just fine tuning a good side.
A great deal of credit for this should go to Bill Kenwright; a very good bit of business bringing in the former Wigan Athletic boss.
Everton should get some silverware this season, as for where they will finish in the Premiership?
A Champions League spot might be pushing it a bit too far but a Europa place should be at least where they finish.
In the local and the loanee they have youth, talent and energy that will frighten defenders. At the ages of twenty and nineteen years respectively they are definitely old enough and without doubt good enough.
Written by Paul Moore, a football fan.