The Rumour Mill — Winter 2005 (January, February & March 2005)
Speculation, conjecture, whisperings, half-truths and outright nonsense. Disclaimer
[Note: most links in this section are to external media/internet sources, where available. 
If the link is recursive (ie, leading back) to this page, it means that no external story exists — Editor].

Mamadou Niang
29 Mar - Everton and Arsenal are apparently interested in the Senegalese international striker who is contracted to Strasbourg in France until 2008.

La-La-Land this summer
26 Feb - Everton are apparently lined up to face MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy in LA on July 20th, although the fixture is said to be dependent on whether or not the club qualifies for the Champions League.

Stephen Appiah
22 Feb - Juventus's Ghanaian prospect Stephen Appiah is being linked with Everton. [No external link]

Leon to get shafted and shifted
20 Feb - [No External Link] One of our readers has it as fact that Leon Osman will be off to Portsmouth for £12k a week.  Everton have only offered him £5k a week — making him the lowest paid senior player in the Premiership... but In Moyes We Trust.

Moyes wanted Davids
2 Feb - David Moyes enquired about getting Edgar Davids in to the Everton squad, but baulked at his £85k/wk wage packet.

Davies deal done?
31 Jan - Although Martin Jol was quoted in the London Evening Standard as saying that he would not be entertaining any bids for Simon Davies, talks with Everton have been on-going today.

Rumours from London now suggest that David Moyes has been successful in his bid to land the Welsh midfielder as Spurs need the cash to fund their double swoop for Forest's Andy Reid and Michael Dawson.

Blues eyed Bellamy loan
30 Jan - Everton were reportedly considering taking Welsh upstart Craig Bellamy off Newcastle's hands until the summer. The former Norwich striker, who scored against the Blues at St James Park earlier this season, has fallen out in a big way with Graeme Souness and has Birmingham boss Steve Bruce seriously considering a £6m bid before tomorrow's transfer deadline.

The match report in The Times from Saturday's win over Sunderland suggests, however, that Everton have denied any intention of making a bid for Bellamy.

The striker has signed on loan for Celtic instead.

Loan deals mooted
30 Jan - Two loan deals are currently being hotly rumoured, most notably former Rangers midfielder Mikel Arteta, who currently plies his trade in his native Spain. Word-of-mouth rumours yesterday appear to have been confirmed by a report today on Radio Clyde that the 22 year-old will join the Blues until the summer.

Elsewhere, there are suggestions that Gary Speed could make a surprise return to Goodison Park, also on loan for the remainder of the season.

Northern Irish stopper linked
30 Jan - Everton are apparently interested in Linfield goalkpeeper Alan Mannus after he impressed during a spell training at Bellefield. The 22 year-old has one Northern Irish international cap.

Davey's not done spending
29 Jan - A flurry of rumours on Saturday afternoon suggests that David Moyes will add at least one midfielder to his squad before the transfer window closes.

Tottenham's Simon Davies, who has been sidelined by injury for much of this season, is believed to be one, with Spurs dropping their £5m valuation closer to Everton's price range.

Naysmith staying put
27 Jan - Gary Naysmith is playing down links that see him moving back to Glasgow sometime before his contract at Everton runs out in the summer.

Davie to swoop on Glasgow?
27 Jan - David Moyes is set for a double swoop on the Old Firm for Celtic's Bobo Balde and Rangers' Fernando Ricksen, says The Mirror.

Thompson to sign?  Update
25 Jan - [No External Link] The latest suggestion is that both Liverpool and Everton have had £3.5M bids accepted but that the midfielder, who used to play at Anfield but grew up supporting the Blues, will sign on the dotted line at Goodison Park tomorrow (Wednesday).

Sunday 23 Jan: Gathering informal rumours suggest that midfielder David Thompson has a medical scheduled for today and will sign for Everton from Blackburn shortly if all goes well.  The deal is thought to be around £3M.

And we're back to Davies
22 Jan - With David Thompson apparently not for sale, Everton are linked once again with Tottenham's Simon Davies even though David Moyes once again admits what few Blues want to hear... that he may not make any additions to his squad between now and the end of the month.

AirAsia as potential sponsors?
21 Jan - Everton are apparently in discussions with Malayasian budget carrier AirAsia (whose corporate branding is worryingly red and very Virgin-esque) about sponsoring the club when the Chang Beer deal runs out in May.

Is this part of a cunning plan to have a sponsor from different Far Eastern company every season and march on towards global domination?

Moyes eyes up Thompson
21 Jan - Blackburn's midfielder David Thompson could be Moyesie's next target, since Savage evaded his attentions...

Marcelo Romero
19 Jan - We lose our star midfielder to Spain... so naturally that is where we would find his replacement....

Bosnar off to Norway?
19 Jan - This from a fan in Norway, submitted to our Mail Bag today:

Vålerenga are currently running the rule over several players as replacements for central defender Erik "Panzer" Hagen, who recently departed for Russian club FC Zenith in a a £700K deal."

Bosnar was only elgible to play in England for a year meaning that Everton would not have been able to keep him beyond this season even if they wanted to. The Australian has yet to make a first-team appearance for the Blues.

Blues to offer £3.5m for Reid
18 Jan - So says a report in The S*n newspaper (as cited by Fox Sports in the US. Tottenham have long been chasing the Republic of Ireland international — then again, they've been chasing everything with two legs lately — but Everton's need for midfield reinforcements is greater.

Sotiris Kyrgiakos
17 Jan - The Greek defender was apparently informed by his club of interest from Everton and Celtic according to Sky Sports.

Next: Nottm's Andy Reid
15 Jan - Everton are the latest club to be linked with a move for Nottingham Forest midfielder Andy Reid.

Oh, please, God. No!
14 Jan - Fresh rumours suggest that Everton are attempting to beat Blackburn to the punch and sign Robbie Savage as replacement for Thomas Gravesen. Davey! Say it isn't so!

Fulham's Legwinski linked
14 Jan - ... but it's possible the site carrying this story means Steed Mabranque instead.

€3m Gravesen deal agreed
14 Jan - So says Marca Spanish Radio, who report that Everton have accepted a cash settlement worth £2.3m at today's exchange rate to release the Danish international six months before his contract is due to expire. The Telegraph run with the story in today's edition, suggesting that Gravesen will undergo a medical today and sign a 3½-year deal at the Bernabeu.

Petrov links dismissed
13 Jan - Stilian Petrov is an unliikely addition to David Moyes's squad after his agent insisted the Bulgarian midfielder is not leaving Celtic Park.

No Tonge bid made
13 Jan - Sheffield United confirrm that they have not so far received any formal bids for midfielder Michael Tonge following speculation that Everton had made a £750,000 offer.

Dacourt to return?
12 Jan - Everton are looking for Olivier Dacourt to return as a ready-made replacement fro Thomas Gravesen...

Gravesen close to Real switch
11 Jan - The story that won't go away is close to conclusion if Sky Sports have their facts right. Citing undefined reports from Spain, they say that Thomas Gravesen will fly to Madrid to discuss a €3m transfer to Real within the next few days.

Jipes! Could it be Jagielka?
11 Jan - Everton are listed among a slew of clubs sniffing around Brammal Lane looking at Phil Jagielka.

Trial for Guillaume Plessis
11 Jan - The 19-yr-old Lens midfielder Guillaume Plessis is going on a week's trial at Everton.

Liverpool enter Gravesen hunt
10 Jan - Our loveable neighbours across the Park are the latest club to reportedly be interested in signing Thomas Gravesen. Manchester United (free transfer in the summer) and Real Madrid (£2m before the current transfer window closes) are mentioned almost daily in the media.

Thompson, Pennant, and more
9 Jan - The People throw up a number of potential targets for David Moyes, mainly Blackburn's Evertonian midfielder David Thompson and Arsenal's Jermaine Pennant. They also suggest a possible loan deal for Spurs' Simon Davies.

Danes reckon on Dawson
7 Jan - Everton, Aston Villa and Charlton (why are there always three?) chasing the signature of the Nottingham Forest defender Michael Dawson. The price should be around 70 milllion crowns (£6.5M) — translated from www.onside.dk, apparently...

Wayne Routledge
7 Jan - The Crystal Palace winger is a rumoured target of Everton, Birmingham and, of course, Tottenham.

Campbell to WBA?
7 Jan - A "surprise" move to The Baggies is apparently in store for SuperKev.

Petrov for £2M? — No Way!
6 Jan - Celtic are pouring cold water all over a rumoured move for Stilian Petrov to Everton for a paltry £2M.

Emmanuel Adebayor
4 Jan - The Monaco striker is apparently a loan target of David Moyes.

Gravesen to Real Madrid
2 Jan - Spanish reports suggest that Real Madrid are set to mount a bid for Thomas Gravesen "in January".  Oooeer....

Beattie Villa bound
1 Jan - James Beattie apparently skipped the medical on Merseyside scheduled for yesterday after he failed to agree personal terms with Everton. He'll now talk to Aston Villa.