The Rumour Mill, 2002-03

Speculation, conjecture, whisperings, half-truths and outright nonsense



Patrick Boyle
30 Jun - Well, he fits the Moyes mould: 16 years young, and from Scotland (Livingston).

Deal on Li Tie soon...
30 Jun - ... says Teamtalk.  We'll believe it when we see it.

Monday morning denials
30 Jun - Everton play down the Macca and Turra rumours.

We haven't heard this one before
29 Jun - Paulo Turra.  Another wonderfully convincing tale from Planet Football.

McManaman in talks?
29 Jun - According to notorious weekend rumour-mongers, the Sunday People, Steve McManaman (28!?) has spoken with David Moyes, and may not to see out the last year of his contract with Real Madrid if a wage deal can be agreed.

Natali not for us
28 Jun - Any Everton interest in Atalanta's Cesare Natali appears to have waned.

Jon Dahl Tomasson
27 Jun - Whether it's in part-exchange for Rooney or a straight purchase from Milan, Jon Dahl Tomasson's name keeps cropping up in relation to Everton. This time on Dublin's Newstalk 106fm...

Another one snubs Everton chance
26 Jun - Zura Khizanishvili won't be coming to Goodison after all: he's signed for Rangers.

One red herring swims away
25 Jun - Shock horror: Micheal Essien joins PSG... saying he really wanted to play for Lyon — but not Everton?!*@!

Macca speculation at the Beeb
25 Jun - Now even the BBC  have picked up on the Steve McManaman rumours...

Negotiations are moving smoothly...
24 Jun - Hopefully that's not Mandarin for "Everton need to pay up or I won't be signing..." — Li Tie

Scott Parker for £3M?
22 Jun - That's according to The Star ...

Dundee Utd blast Dunc rumours
19 Jun - No loan return to Tannadice for Duncan Ferguson.

Everton bid for Fitz Hall
18 Jun - £1M for an Oldham player?  Total nonsense, says Ian Ross.

Gavin McCann for £½M?
17 Jun - Or have we had this one before already?

Here's a new one to conjour with...
16 Jun - Dundee defender Zura Khizanishvili is now linked with Everton.

Northampton bid for Clarke
15 Jan - Northampton have supposedly bid £200k for Peter Clarke.

Moyes keen on 'keeper
14 Jun - David Moyes has apparently been looking at 22 year-old shot-stopper Nicholas Penneteau of Corsican club, Bastia.

Roonaldo to Italy
13 Jun - AC Milan offer £12M plus Laursen and Tomasson for Rooney?

Next in line: Keith Gillespie
13 Jun - Would Moyes really want a player Blackburn have released?

Rob Hulse to replace Kevin Campbell
12 Jun - FootyMad quotes the Sun and says David Moyes wants Crewe's Rob Hulse, adding credence to an e-mail we received a month ago suggesting he would join the Blues for £750,000.

Colin Healy no longer a prospect
11 Jun - So it says at the bottom of this icLiverpool article...

Henri Camara
11 Jun - Everton might be interested in Senegal star Henri Camara...

Dunn deal not quite done?
10 Jun - Birmingham are back in talks with Blackburn over Everton target David Dunn.

Moyes interested in Robinson?
8 Jun - Would David Moyes really be looking at goalkeeper Paul Robinson of Leeds?

Koumas set to leave WBA
7 Jun - And Everton are 'interested'... supposedly!

Another £5.5m target
6 Jun - Fulham midfielder Sean Davis is the latest name to be linked with a move to Everton. [Football365]

Add another name...
6 Jun - David Tarka, 20-year-old defender from Perth, Australia, linked with Everton (among others).

McLeod set to leave
4 Jun - Having rejected a one-year contract at Goodison Park, Kevin McLeod could join Preston North End.

Dunn deal?
3 Jun - The Sun says it's a done deal but Moyesey says that while he is interested, no official contact with the player's representatives has been made.

Remember the name...
30 May - Hjalmar Thorarinsson!  Top scorer in the Icelandic League... and only 16?  Of course we're interested!  [Tribal Football]

Blues want McCann back
29 May - The Daily Mail report that, along with Aston Villa and Leeds United, Everton have lodged a £3m bid for Gavin McCann... whom we sold to Sunderland for £2.5m less than that four years ago!

Moyes in chase for Nonda?
29 May - With Monaco needing to raise £18m in order to appeal against their enforced demotion to the French second division on financial grounds, £8m-rated Shabani Nonda is on the market and Everton have been linked along with Tottenham and Manchester City.

What can Brown do for you?
28 May - According to the usually reputable Press Association, Everton will offer £3.5m to Sheffield United for midfielder Michael Brown.

Everton's Essien bid rebuffed
28 May - Nyarko plus £3M for Essien? Bastia say no [Planet Football]

Moyes to trump Brum for Dunn
27 May - The Independent suggest that David Moyes will blow 4/5 of his summer transfer budget on Blackburn's highly-rated misfit David Dunn with £4m up front and another £1m in installments.

Alexandersson for Koumas
26 May - Everton will offer Niclas Alexandersson plus cash to West Brom for former target Jason Koumas [Planet Football].

Moyes turns down Babbel
25 May - David Moyes has apparently turned down the chance to sign out-of-favour Liverpool defender Markus Babbel due to concerns over his form and high wages.

Davie Dunn for Mad Dog?
22 May - Everton have been linked with a player-plus-cash deal for Blackburn's David Dunn in a switch that could see Thomas Gravesen move to Ewood Park.  We say Bite the hand off!

Big Joe wants Gerrard... again!
21 May - Ipswich Town boss Joe Royle apparently wants to sign Paul Gerrard for a third time but Everton's valuation of the player may be a stumbling block.

Gerrard to Turf Moor?
14 May - Paul Gerrard has been vaguely linked with a move to Burnley, although the rumours suggest he is not their top target.

Moyes eyeing relegated star
13 May - Not for the first time, Everton have been linked with Joe Cole who, along with a host of West Ham players, is expected to leave Upton Park now that the Hammers have slipped out of the Premiership.

Crewe midfielder targeted?
11 May - An anonymous contact suggests that Rob Hulse will arrive from Crewe Alexandra for £750,000.

Everton linked with Kleberson... again!
11 May - Brazilian midfielder Kleberson apparently flies in this week with his agents who will be hawking him around five Premiership clubs, including Everton.

Silly season kicks in early
6 May - Jon Dahl Tomasson in exchange for Milan getting first refusal on Wayne Rooney???

Rooney for Butt and Solskjaer
2 May - Ah, the first of many, many rumours to come concerning Master Rooney. Get used to it.

Flying a Pennant?
1 May - Everton, Blackburn, Jermaine Pennant, blah, blah, blah.

Everton deny Kilbane speculation
30 Apr - It just ain't true, says David Moyes.

Falkirk ready to cash in?
27 Apr - The Sporting Life reports that Lee Miller, Collin Samuel, and a third player, Mark Kerr, are likely to move to Premiership clubs in the summer.

Cherry picking from Sunderland?
27 Apr - Talk on Wearside suggests Everton are interested in the talents of Kevin Kilbane now that Sunderland are heading down.

Midfield Steel?
25 Apr - Sheffield United midfielder Michael Brown is desparate to join Everton so he can play alongside Wayne Rooney.

Scott Severin ties with Hearts
22 Apr - Having rejected a new contract at Tynecastle, Scott Severin has apprently become the subject of interest from Everton and Tottenham. [Word of Mouth]

No! Not Bowyer
13 Apr - Lee Bowyer is exactly the sort of player who is not wanted at Everton.  Let's hope this is more rubbish from Tribal Football.

Schopp in the window
13 Apr - Austrian midfielder Markus Schopp has been linked with a possible move to Everton or Middlesbrough. [Planet Football]

Moyes Gunning for the Pennant?
9 Apr - England U-21 star Jermaine Pennant this summer for £2m from Arsenal. [Word of Mouth]

Essien cools on leaving France
5 Apr - Bastia's Ghanaian Mickael Essien says he would prefer to stay in France... [Ghanaweb]

Everton eye up another Ghanaian
31 Mar - Mickael Eissien is the man, according to the prolific rumour-mongers at Planet Football.

Moyes to buy Petrov
19 Mar - The Independent has got a sniff that Everton will bid £6M for Stilien Petrov from Celtic, come the summer...

Moyes eyes the Bentmeister
18 Mar - Ipswich Town's Darren Bent is a potential transfer target for David Moyes — so claim the jurno hacks at the Suffolk Evening Star.

Who should it be today?
14 Mar - How's about West Ham's Joe Cole?  Yes, no higher and well-respected authority than the soaraway Sun claims he's Moyesy's Boy already for £8m.

Koumas staying at West Brom
13 Mar - Jason Koumas, often rumoured to be Goodison bound, is staying with the Baggies... so says his agent. [BBC]

Everton keep tabs on Fausto
4 Mar - Everton scouts are reportedly hot on the trail of Atalanta striker Fausto Rossini. [Planet Football]

Scouting, Italian Style
27 Feb - Everton scouts in Italy are reported to be hot on the trail of Sampdoria defender Alessandro Grandoni. [Tribal Football]

Moyes interested in a Ferrari
25 Feb - Everton are one of four clubs chasing Parma's central defender, Matteo Ferrari. [Tribal Football]

New Chinese pair Wu'ed.
23 Feb - If you believe Teamtalk, Chinese Internationals Wu Weian and Wu Pingfeng are headed to Everton on loan.

Moyes is Bent on Darren
20 Feb - The Independent has logged David Moyes cruising across country to visit Ipswich Town and eye up teenager Darren Bent as a future partner for Wayne Rooney.

PSG may still buy Nyarko
20 Feb - Paris St Germain are reportedly still on the hook to pay for the permanent acquisition of Everton want-away Alex Nyarko, who has been with them on loan all season.

Another Sunderland link
19 Feb - David Moyes has already denied interest in Gavin McCann but with the Black Cats seemingly destined to return to the Nationwide League, expect lots of speculation regarding their better players. The latest stories have Jody Craddock making the switch to Goodison this summer.

Gavin McCann to return?
18 Feb - The Daily Express would have us believe that Gavin McCann will be returning to Everton if (when?) Sunderland are relegated to the Nationwide at the end of the season. David Moyes had dismissed the speculation as just that... speculation.

Kings Dock project collapses?
17 Feb - Rumours posted on the Bluekipper website suggest that Bill Kenwright and the Everton board have failed in their attempts to raise the captial required to take the club's proposed stadium and arena complex to the next phase.

Jermaine Pennant
16 Feb - The Sunday People, The Independent and the BBC report that Everton are interested in signing the Arsenal striker this summer. Other targets suggested are Ipswich's Darren Ambrose and Munich 1860 forward, Benjamin Lauth.

Moyes tracking Gray?
16 Feb - Everton are looking at Crystal Palace's Julian Gray, who scored one of the goals in their surprise cup win at Anfield. [Word of mouth]