Everton supporters were in fantastic spirits in the Transfer Tavern last night after seeing their side convincing sweep aside West Ham 4-0 at Goodison Park to move up to 13th in the Premier League table, and thus give manager-to-be Sam Allardyce some encouragement ahead of his imminent appointment as Ronald Koeman’s successor.

The Toffees have been without a permanent boss since the club’s hierarchy wielded the axe on the Dutchman back on October 23, after overseeing a horrendous start to the season which saw the Merseyside outfit sit in the league’s bottom three. And although things haven’t improved greatly under caretaker manager David Unsworth, the former defender did end his reign with victory as a Wayne Rooney hat-trick alongside an Ashley Williams header secured an easy win for Everton over struggling West Ham, thus inflicting further misery on former Toffees chief David Moyes upon his return to Goodison Park.

Subsequently, there have been many delighted Evertonians in the Tavern in the last few hours, many of whom are eagerly anticipating the new era under boss Allardyce, who is expected to be announced as manager prior to their clash with Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

Elsewhere, what with the January transfer window fast approaching, several of our resident Toffees fans have been speculating upon who could leave their club in the New Year, and one name that cropped up regularly in their discussion was midfielder James McCarthy.

The Republic of Ireland international has managed just one appearance for the Merseysiders so far this season and that came all the way back on October 25 in their Carabao Cup defeat to Chelsea, and he has since not appeared in any of Unsworth’s matchday squads.

And many Evertonians reckon that the 27-year-old could be on his way in January, and one possible destination is Villa Park given that Aston Villa reportedly expressed an interest in McCarthy during the summer.

And were the Irishman to indeed make the move to the Midlands giants, here are TWO other Everton stars who could follow him to Steve Bruce’s side…

Joel Robles

Sam Johnstone was linked with a move to West Brom earlier this month to suggest that Bruce could well be left short in the goalkeeping department come the New Year.

Yet he could seek a move for Everton’s Joel Robles in a bid to boost his shot-stopping ranks, what with the Spaniard having fallen down the pecking order at Goodison Park following the arrival of Jordan Pickford in the summer.

The 27-year-old has featured just once for the Toffees this term and that came in their 5-1 hammering at the hands of Atalanta last week, yet the former Wigan Athletic keeper has proven in his time both at Goodison and the DW Stadium to be an adept shot-stopper.

And it’s a move Villa could well look to make come the New Year.

Beni Baningime

19-year-old midfielder Beni Baningime made his senior Everton debut in their Carabao Cup defeat to Chelsea back in October, and produced a composed and industrious display to suggest that he has a bright future in the game.

However, the youngster has since then started just twice in the Premier League for the Toffees and is unlikely to dethrone the likes of Tom Davies, Idrissa Gueye, and Morgan Schneiderlin from the central midfield area, so a loan move to the lower leagues could be in the offing.

And given how talented he is and how much he has to offer, Bruce should look to bolster his midfield options with a move for Baningime, who could make a big difference in the latter stages of the campaign to help the Villans return to the Premier League.