After surviving a single season, it was important that they didn't leave themselves hostages to fortune at the beginning of the next.
Despite starting the season with a loss at Goodison Park, there were plenty of positives to take away.
The sale of Richarlison to Spurs was an inevitable consequence of last season's struggles and the talisman who did so much to keep the club in the top flight.
The Brazilian's departure for north London would have been a good time for the backroom team and the board to line up a new player.
The need is now even more urgent as Salomon Rondon looks a spent force, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin's increasingly concerning injury record should have had alarm bells ringing.
When Dominic Calvert-Lewin suffered a knee injury in training days before the start of the season, it was punished by the club.
It's not a huge amount of time away, but it's not a good start to the season after the terrible struggles last season.
The weakness was exposed as Anthony Gordon was forced to play in an unaccustomed attacking role, banging his head against the wall of experienced defenders, who were no match for him.
There was an air of resignation around Goodison Park after Jorginho's penalty gave Chelsea a first-half lead.
The lack of serious threat was obvious as it was unsurprising, and the markets must be scoured with urgent attention, as Frank Lampard's side never gave up, even though they didn't have a real threat.
This is a crucial time for the club, with the board led by chairman Bill Kenwright and owner Farhad Moshiri asking the fans to judge them at the end of the window.
How they deal with this emergency and other aspects of recruitment will form part of that judgement after a much-touted "strategic review" at the end of last season.
Will it make a difference? It will be determined by time.
Business has been done so far this summer and will continue to be done, as was shown at Goodison Park during the game against the Blues.
James Tarkowski, a smart free transfer signing from Burnley, was excellent in defence, although it was a harder day for another debutant, his former team-mate.
During the first half, Lille's 20-year-old Amadou Onana walked towards the directors' box, acknowledging the warm applause he received. This is a big talent and an investment of over thirty million dollars.
The captain of Wolves, Conor Coady, may find his phone running hot after two injury setbacks in the defence, as he is on his way back to the club from Paris St-Germain.
The sarcastic sweepstake said that if the ball had been out of play before the injury, it could have been avoided.
The clouds that gathered over the club last season and which have continued into the summer with very public protests against the club's owners are not what the club wants.
This wasn't the best start, but there were elements of the performance that pleased him and suggested he has something to build on.
The next few weeks could shape their season if they don't get the right business done.
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