Rumour Mill — Week of 27 July 2025

Latest rumour is Luiz wants to come here but we only want him on loan.

Why are we wasting time on a player we don't even rate enough to sign permanently?

The next clickbait topic of discussion is. (drum roll please!)

Jeremy Sarmiento.

Brighton, 23, plays left or right, I think he was on loan at Burnley last season? Will cost similar to Anzou.

Beto to Atalanta is the latest claim.

Calvert-Lewin linked to Man Utd, Aston Villa and AC Milan.

Iroegbanum to Sheffield Utd

It's not about rating him, Grant, it's about making money go further.

Andrew 5. True if we sign no one because we cant agree a deal for anyone, we'll still have plenty of money at the end of the window. Genius.

Grant, I think it's about loaning him for a year and having more money then.

Juventus want a loan with an obligation to buy. Everton, from what I've read today, want just a loan. If we are going to buy him in 12 months when the loan ends there wouldn't be a problem.

Could all be rubbish but that's what I've read.

That's all well and good, Andrew, but Juventus have made it clear they want a sale not a loan so we either comply or move on.

It's no wonder we can't sign players with this much procrastination. If we really want a player, pay the piper and stop wasting time and valuable preparation for the new season.

Jay

I think the reason we want a loan deal is only the wages will be included in PSR rating, whereas if we were to buy, the buying price goes straight on the PSR for this year.

Also, with Moyes saying he wants another 6 players, we have to be careful we don't go over our PSR this year. As Newcastle are finding out, you can have all the money in the world but, because of PSR, they can't spend what they would like to.

Everton are interested in the former Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

[@markmcadamtv, @SkySportsNews]

I'm taking everything with a pinch of salt now, Ryan, but I have been calling for this one for 2 years now.

Jack Grealish also linked with a loan but Man City not decided what to do at the moment (sell or loan).

Bobble saying we're keen on Grealish. Talented player. Though I wonder how motivated he'd be?

Personally, I'd be more excited by Fofana who I reckon could do as well as Grealish now and will be comfortably the more valuable player in 2 or 3 years time.

My son just pointed me to that one, Sam.

Fair assessment. The other complications are that apparently (Bobble rumour), we are interested in a loan, whereas Man City might want a permanent transfer.

Also, other clubs interested.

I have all sorts of doubts about Grealish but on loan it'd be fun if nothing else.

If they can pull that off, then credit to them. Personally, I suspect they're trying hard to get Gallagher in that way too.

The impression I get about Grealish is that he's one of those players who could become a cult hero at Everton and we'd benefit from that player/fan relationship on the pitch.

Lindstrom has signed for Wolfsburg on loan.

Pity about that, Liam. I'd have liked him back for another season. There's definitely a good player in him.

Andrew,

It's his Andy van der Meyde antics off the pitch that have blotted his career.

Maybe, Jay, but I reckon he's a player who stays away from that stuff when he's playing regularly.

I think Grealish's best is behind him. His off field habits (which have been confirmed to me by someone first hand) certainly contribute to this.

I would have taken Lindstrøm on another loan as well, I definitely think there's a player in there somewhere.

Grealish!! Heart says Yes, Head says No. We've been down this road before with the likes of Alli.

But, the older-than-me generation will say Reid and Gray turned out alright.

When Kevin Ratcliffe played left-back, he was fucking shite, but when he played as a centre-back, he ended up being top drawer.

If a footballer is going to excel, then he has got to be played in his proper position.

Jesper Lindstrøm was never played in his proper position!

If you don't mind getting a Grealish that may not always look arsed and may not always be fit, then that's okay.

He will never be “prime Grealish” again but he could still be fun and reasonably productive on loan.

I have no idea why people would be against Grealish, he'd walk into our team. I don't think his best is behind him either and he's looking to get back in the England team.

He'll also be great for merch sales too.

To be honest, I am just fed up reading all the rumours.

New owners… but on the transfer front, it certainly is looking very much like same old Everton!

ESPN just reported that we and West Ham are in strongly for Grealish, and that Man City will likely grow more amenable to a loan-to-buy deal the closer we get to the window closing.

I used to like watching him play but not so keen on Grealish for Everton now.

Only gut feel that tells me he won't fit in.

You're not the only one feeling that, Bob.

I have concerns over Grealish; of course there is talent there but having already won most things and past his prime, how motivated will he be?

Plus his availability has always been an issue and I'm not sure he's ever managed more than 25 games in a Premier League season. Perhaps a loan deal could work but I'd be nervous of committing heavy financial resources to a player whose trajectory is unclear. I'd be far more excited about Fofana or another young talent with potential to become the next Grealish.

I'd be more excited about him if he played off the right. Strange that the two strongest links of last few days are left-wingers! Who will we get to play on the right flank that has been our Achilles Heel for years?!

The World Cup next year in the USA, Sam.

That's his motivation to play his socks off, even if it's only on a season loan.

Maybe Colin. But what happens if he realises he's not in Tuchel's plans?

A lot of competition for those forward slots. I'm not set against it but, depending on what the deal is, it could be quite risky.

I wouldn't be offended if we got Grealish on loan, but I am not sure that his character is one that would suit Moyes.

Those things can be overcome if the player has something to prove, gets his head down and play football. If his motive is to get back into Tuchel's plans and he wants to use Everton as a means to achieve that, then I'm personally okay with that.

It felt like he went from being the superstar at Aston Villa to becoming small fry within Man City's vast squad and missing out on a lot of playing time. Maybe in hindsight, and what Villa achieved, he would have been better off staying?

Another right-footed player who likes to play left and cut in. This is becoming increasingly common on both flanks. It has been for years.

Anyway, it's still all rumour and talk, so let's see what happens. We have no control.

I agree on the Lindstrøm comments, both in terms of keeping him if the option was available and using him in his correct position. A flying winger he isn't. There are few in the game now. The Bundesliga might suit his game better.

On that logic, Colin, we should also be in for Kalvin Phillips,, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire. Calvert-Lewin too.

I'm not against a loan, by the way – but there's a reason why Grealish's likely destinations include Everton and West Ham.

It's not clickbait Martin @36. There is a separate thread on it.

Robert, three of the four players you name are overweight and slow. Grealish is neither.

At Aston Villa, he played mainly down the left but had freedom to roam. Under Pep's robotic system, he was mainly used as a winger whose main function seemed to be to pick up fouls as soon as he came close to the opponent's box.

I'm not a huge fan but he's a name which would make us more attractive to some prospective players. Like Richarlison, he goes down far too easy for my liking.

I think there might be legs in both the Fofana and Grealish links, though given they both play on the left, I think it will be either or.

So, my theory is that, if it's Grealish, then we will drop interest in Fofana and buy Fellows, letting him battle it out with McNeil for the right-midfield berth. Then Ndiaye and Alcaraz to compete for the No 10 slot. This solution should free up the money to spend on an a right-back and a central midfielder.

I'd be happy with either of those outcomes, though only a loan for Grealish; I think he would do well here but personally i'd rather buy Fofana, we need pace.

Colin,

Guardiola's tactics seemed okay for the likes of Messi, Iniesta, Neymar, De Bruyne, Mahrez etc etc. if Grealish couldn't flourish at Man City, that's on him.

I'm not sure Moyes is all about flamboyance and freedom either.

Like I say, I think it could be a fun and productive loan signing… but prime Grealish – the one who commanded a £100M fee – is realistically a thing of the past.

Colin @38, I too don't like players going down too easily.

But I will make a case for the defence. Grealish and Richarlison are both quick players. When moving at pace, it only takes the slightest clip to knock them off balance.

Of course players will go down if they feel the touch. A foul is a foul.

Ashley Young got victimised for it against Manchester United last season. Maybe he did try to make it obvious, but he was still fouled and it was a penalty.

Going back, Andy Johnson got labelled once Mourinho called it in front of his Sky disciples and the officials followed suit. He wasn't a diver, he was just too quick for clumsy defenders. But once he got branded, he rarely got a decision.

Grealish's loan fee and high wages are an issue we need to consider.

Although allegedly more financially sound with TFG backing, we still need to be careful with what we spend and where we spend it, being conscious of PSR conditions.

Class player though he is, could we spend the money more wisely? Just asking.

Players that go down with minimal contact and roll around are cheats and soft.

I see Virginia has signed for Sporting Lisbon. So he can't be that bad a keeper.

Of course it's possible he wasn't offered a new deal at Everton.

It's a conundrum: would I rather see Grealish running at players and providing assists winning us penalties and free kicks? Or watch the slow-as-a-sloth, one-footed McNiel plodding along the touchline?

Sorry, it's Grealish all day long for me. Shirt sales would go through the roof, an ambitious signing that might encourage other players to sign for us. I'd love Grealish here.

I'll give you rolling around, Paul.

But going down under even minimal contact when moving at pace is sometimes unavoidable. It's momentum.

At the Man City match at home last season, a couple sat in front of me, who I'd never seen before.

The lad was a Blue, but the young woman had no interest in the game and only came to life when Jack Grealish warmed up and she just kept taking zoomed in pictures of him.

Wonder how rugby backs can play at great speed.

When players used to go down with minimal contact, they were laughed at and called out for being embarrassing.

Now, when a player does the same thing, he his no longer considered soft, because they all do it now, since cheating became acceptable.

It's very off-putting and is the main reason I have just enjoyed watching quite a few games in the women's tournament much more than I enjoy watching a lot of men's football now.

The men are obviously so much better but, because they are also light years ahead when it comes to cheating, it often spoils the game.

Tony, some of the Spanish players were well-practised in some of the so-called dark arts.

Michelle Agyemang can testify to that.

Tony... and they are aided and abetted by the puppets on MotD:

"He drew the foul", "He was entitled to go down there" ...I mean what the feck does that even mean???

"He really could have gone down there instead of staying on his feet." It really is a shit sport!

drfn

Grealish would be one of the 3 most talented players in the squad if we signed him (alongside Pickford and Branthwaite).

He played 20 league games most seasons for Man City because Guardiola didn't pick him. He averaged 34 games a season for them.

He will likely choose West Ham, as he loves a night out. Probably for the best as he would make the rest of the squad look bad.

Tony, it's crept into rugby union.

The Aussie going down last week holding his head, shows the win-at-all-costs mentality entering that sport as well.

Mick @44, got to agree on Grealish. Even if his wages were double that of anyone else, he would raise the bar and give everyone a lift.

As you said, our Dwight, trundling along and pumping balls to no one in particular just deflates everyone. To see some real skill and some assists would be a novelty.

It's mad, Andrew, because those physical dark arts have never bothered me as much as players going down like they have been shot when they have hardly been touched.

I haven't watched MotD for years, Allan, but I did put it on one Sunday morning not so long ago. Never again, I thought, whilst I was watching, because this is a programme that definitely seems to concentrate on the controversy rather than the finer elements of the game.

I was gutted I forgot about the rugby, Ian, because I love the way they are all just so committed and the way everyone respects the referee. If cheating enters that sport, it might end up being catastrophic on so many levels.

Cheating = a total lack of respect for your sport and for your opponent. Even though it has become universally accepted by many, it's not something I can personally respect myself.

I know I yearn for Everton to possess hard-nosed, complete and ultra professionalism more than anything else, so I suppose I'm contradicting myself when I say I'd take no satisfaction in winning by cheating… but I think I've got the sense and the grace, to know the difference between the two.

Unless it's against the 'outraged at everything but ashamed of nothing' crew!

I hate it. It's not a game of skill in footy or rugby, it's how much you can get over the referee without him noticing.

Sad times.

One of my pet hates is when players go down and roll around holding their head to stop play when their head was not even touched.

Grealish will be a deadline day one, if at all. Man City will be holding out for 50% of his wages but no one will go near even that.

As him being stuck there looms nearer, they'll be happy to take anything to get shut. Personally, I'd steer clear.

What was that saying a few years back about drugs? Oh I know… Just Say No!

Well, as far as Jack the lad goes, just say no! Not even on a free and Man City pay half his wages. He's lazy, unproductive, a one-trick pony, and his one trick isn't very good.

He is a busted flush, not fit for purpose, over rated, in fact I can't think of one positive he would bring to us. West Ham and Napoli are after him, so I don't think we need to worry too much about another, past his sell-by date, been there, done it player, coming to us on a high wage with little return and no sell on.

Just say no, Moyes, please.

Paul, I think you are in one of your moods today.

Who has taken over your account?

Andy, me, in a mood?

My excuse is I support Everton, I've been in a mood for years. But I am a habitual moaner, my moans lighten TW up, methinks.

But I stand by my Grealish comments, no touch.

For me, Grealish is definitely not a one-trick pony, has a brilliant touch. At Villa, he was the playmaker, that's why Guardiola bought him, but never gave him a chance in his proper position.

I think he would be a revelation, and at his age, he wants to prove everyone wrong and make the World Cup squad, but it's probably down to wages now.

Paul, tell us some of your jokes and brighten your day up! 😂😂😂

Think the manager would need to meet him, and be certain that the fire is still alive and burning.

At the top of his game, he would be the best player by a country mile. He would solve some of the creativity issues in the side, but we would still need to upgrade the pace in the side. Jack could release a Fofana or Kubo type.

Would add a bit of a fight for the XI to Alcaraz. But no bad thing.

I played rugby union 50 years ago and there was plenty of cheating going on then. Not diving but punching, raking, hitting off the ball, etc.

I have had stripes down my back that resembled a zebra. It was always about seeing how much you could get away with. Get your retaliation in first. I enjoyed it.

Just spotted the links to El Khannouss of Leicester. Cracking footballer. Might enjoy talking tagines and leather goods with Aznou?

Interesting that the manager has come clean about the transfer troubles, he sees genuinely concerned and browned off over the current situation.

It's obvious to me that the current squad will not survive in the Premier League without key areas being filled.

It looks as though he doesn't fancy Tom Fellows on the right, and any Championship player in the middle either "if" you believe the media and who we have supposedly been in for.
Time is indeed running out and will we be feeding off scraps come deadline day?

The thought of being relegated in our first season at the HDS is a nightmare scenario.

An interesting few weeks ahead and the purse strings have to be loosened if that's the reason we're not putting enough on the table?

Dibling Southampton offer rejected.

Just seen that Mal. £27m bid rejected, The Saints want £40m.

Dibling got 2 goals & no assists last season. I'm shocked Everton have bid for him. He needs a season in the championship.

Macc, he's going to get a few seasons in the Championship, nobody will pay that silly money Saints are asking.

Perhaps Southampton have somehow got the impression that we are not ready for the start of the Premier League season and are getting desperate to make more headway with signing players.

He will not go for £40M, but they have time on their side to wait until it is closer than £27M.

Macc and Eric I disagree, he is very young and still a bit raw. However Dibling is exactly the player we should be in for. He brings first team quality, strengthens our team and offers a much needed outlet of pace on the right flank. Most importantly, he has a very high potential ceiling. I hope it happens.

Luiz, Grealish, McAtee, (who else?) etc… Everton trying to play hardball with clubs who are richer (City) or have more European pedigree (Juventus) is a bit silly imo.

If you want these players, get serious. Is the plan to take this to the wire only to fail at the last minute and say, “ oh we tried, but couldn’t get it over the line”?

Time is running out. The three above mentioned are coveted by other clubs. No one is going to wait for the mighty Everton to make a move. None of these players are desperate to play for Everton. David Moyes is no Carlo Ancellotti. We are not a major player on the world stage.

Getting fucking real and either go for unknown talents or make a fucking move. With any of these.

So Southampton want £40 million for this kid, if moshiri was still around he would probably pay £50 million. He's not worth the £27 million they want, yet. Move on Everton, better options elsewhere.

Colin # 111, Ancelotti didn’t bring us a major player on the world stage. Only money does that.

That’s the problem, Paul. We’ll make offers, get rejected, make more offers, more rejections and on and on and on.

At this rate we’ll end up getting bang average players like Coufal, Soucek, Maitland-Niles, Ndidi etc….on the final day, with seconds to spare.

I’m not saying we should go mad and pay exorbitant fees/wages but this is the world we live in. There are many clubs out there who in order to survive will outbid us while we try and save a few quid dithering.

Robert, managers like Ancellotti attract the best players.

Paul@122 are there many better options at RW? Not sure there are loads. Dibling was in a terrible team last season but I think he’s got real talent. Let’s see.

To Colin's point.

If Soton value Dibling at 40 million, it makes little sense to present a bid of 27 million (22% below their valuation). We must have been aware of their valuation before we submitted the bid.

Low bids only aggravate the seller and make the negotiations harder. We had a similar experience with Man Utd's bids for Jarrad last summer and we all know how that ended.

If 25-30 million is the upper ceiling for a right winger this summer, we need to look elsewhere quickly. It is these tactics that are probably annoying Moyes and wasting precious weeks of the summer window.

Anyone think we're just getting desperate now and don't really have a transfer strategy?

Colin + Steve. Yup. 100%
Evertons decades old transfer shitstem policy is unbreakable.
The dead one lives on

Maybe Thelwell wasn't that bad after all

Colin, which major players did Ancelotti sign for Everton? Someone is going to reply James Rodriguez (someone no big club has wanted since Real were delighted to get him off their books - and has never played club football of any standard since he left us).

There is a happy coincidence that the world's best managers tend to preside over the world's richest clubs.

Remove the rich club budget and the manager suddenly loses his sex appeal. I don't remember Louis Van Gaal attracting any major players when he chose a spell at AZ Alkmaar.

I do remember Robinho going to play for Mark Hughes however. And an increasing number of quality players living the dream under nobody managers out in Saudi.

I know many fans hate the implication that money is the biggest difference maker… but it is. Almost all of the foreign players in the Premier League wouldn't be here if we didn't pay such high wages.

Barry has just given up Champions League football under a very well respected manager to play for us – all for a pay rise. It's how it works.

You mean the £250k a week we were paying both Ancelotti and James didn't contribute to their desire to move to the North-West of England, Rob?

Everton's next bid will be £27.5M.

If we're going to get him, it will be £35M + add-ons, I suspect.

Andrew, you are probably right.

Basis that, the starting bid would be £30-£32M.

Well, Cole Palmer went from Man City to Chelsea for £40M and I guess Southampton are drawing a parallel there.

So we need to cough up if we want him.

Looks like Forest have won the race for Douglas Luiz.

Loan with obligation to buy next season.

Did I read that (Nathan?) Broahead had left Ipswich?

Signed for Wrexham

Alan (127) as Liam (128) just posted Broadhead has joined Wrexham for about £7M which is about three times the value Everton sold him for.

Wrexham are getting a very good player with a footballing brain but will have to watch for the many injuries Nathan has had in his football career with each of his clubs while scoring quite a few goals for them.

Wrexham also signed Conor Coady today.

Latest Bobble rumours:

Dibling and his agency are keen on him joining Everton;

Kubo too expensive;

Bakayoko wasn't interested;

Still trying for Fofana but he isn't convinced to join;

We want Grealish, total cost of £8-10M... Man City happy to wait to see if anything else happens;

Luiz wants European football and closest to joining Forest. agent is close to their owner.

McAtee, Man City had him priced ~£25M but it has gone up based on the proposed Tottenham deal for Gibbs-White. No club has a deal in place for him yet.

So I will be watching two former Blues on the US TV series Welcome to Wrexham!

No Eze on the Palace sheet in their friendly v Augsburg.

Release clause expires tomorrow, I think… move, Arsenal, move.

I still think we there's a good chance we get one of these players in each position:

Right-winger

- Dibling
- Hutchinson
- Kubo

Attacking midfielder:

- Grealish (loan)
- El Khanouss
- McAtee

Centre-midfielder:

- Gallagher
- Soucek
- AN Other not yet linked

Right back:

- Rensch (loan)
- Coufal
- AN Other not yet linked

Come on, Everton, start landing these deals!

Robert, any potential centre-backs on loan that you like?

We have 4 so I don't think so, no Ron, but we have been linked with a few young ones from France.

And we already got the young lad Dodds from Hearts.

Just need to pay the money, and push for decisions

Douglas Luiz, loan to buy
Fofana
Grealish, loan
Chelsea squad player Andrey Santos, Essuggo,

Andrey Santos would be a fantastic signing, Ian.

Broja going to Burnley.

Robert #137,

Meant to say it a few times...

Came on to ToffeeWeb a million years ago...hoping for a poster like you.

You are perceptive, knowledgeable, diplomatic, persuasive, balanced and fair.

It's like looking in a mirror!

Obviously the last bit was an attempt at humour but I do hold Robert in the highest regard.

Rob 100.

A Liverpool fan walks into a library and says, "Hi! I'd like a hamburger, large fries, and a Coke."

The librarian replies, 'Sir, this is a library.'

The red says, "Oh for fuck's sake!" He then leans toward the librarian grabs him by the collar, nuts him and whispers, 'I'd like to order a hamburger, a large fries and a Coke." 😁

Thanks, Brendan.

I'm not everyone's cup of tea. But we all want the same thing really don't we?

Thanks, Robert.

I wasn't sure of the injury status with only 1 centre-back available for the Bournemouth game.

Paul, 🤣🤣had to read it at least twice though!

Currently in Orlando airport when I laughed out loud. Probably all think I am a crazy pissed up Brit! As if ….

Paul # 142…

Two days late, but better late than never! 😂😂😂

Thanks Neil and Rob. Sorry for the delay, but I've been miserable as fuck, and that's not like me.

Here's another one.

Why is it terrible to be a penis? Because your nearest neighbor is an asshole, your two best friends are nuts, and you throw up when you get excited.😁

Paul, ha ha, keep them coming. Flight to Atlanta is delayed and chaos has ensued!

All motivation is very much welcome, particularly the alcohol variety.

Okay, if we're telling jokes...

In the early '70s, wrestling was dominated by a Chinese superstar named Ho Chi whose match-winning move was the "Ho-Chi Min" grip. Once he got an opponent in that hold... the fight was over.

So dominant was he that no-one would fight him, so his management team put a call out, a la Rocky for any contender to step up. Dandy Crooks from Belfast got the gig.

Round 1... pretty even.

Round 2... Dandy was caught in the "Ho Chi Min" grip! And then, within a few seconds from a submission... there was a tremendous roar and Ho Chi was flung out of the ring and Dandy declared the winner!

That night on "Scene Around Six"... Dandy was being interviewed by Lesley Dawes: "So Dandy… the Ho Chi Min grip — how did you get out of it?"

"Well, Lesley," says Dandy, "I was wrapped up so much, I couldn't move… and then I saw this big pair of hairy balls dangling... so I sunk my teeth into them!"

"So Dandy" asked Lesley... "that's how you got out of the Ho Chi Min grip?"

Dandy says, "You bite your own balls... you'll get out of anything!"

Brendan 🤣

Neil

Great wrestler though he was Dandy Crooks had a terrible speech impediment.

Back in the '70s, there was a very famous oil-rig firefighter named Red Adair. He came to Belfast once and was spotted drinking in the Crown Bar by Dandy and his mates.

"Look," said Dandy's mates in awe... "there's Red Adair sitting at the bar!"

It was Dandy's round next and he found himself standing at the bar next to Red Adair.

Dandy: "Are you Red Adair?"

Red "Hell... yes, I am!"

Dandy: "Are you still dancing with Ginger Rogers?"

Ha ha, love it!

And thank you... Neil.

Hope the flights work out.

Cheers Brendan, looks like we are about to board.

Everton need to buy goals.

Buying from Southampton – who scored less than us last season – is ridiculous.

Neil #154,

ToffeeWebber in distress at the airport and I fecking stepped up

Not sure what my super power will be but I'll discuss it with the grandchildren in the morning.

There are no rumours because our transfer team are out on a jolly in America, wasting everyone's time.

The curse continues…

Colin @158.

Mobile phones, tablets, laptops, Microsoft Teams, Zoom.

Of course negotiations are ongoing. We've signed Aznou while they've been out there. There is still a team back at Finch Farm as well.

In this age of technology, it wouldn't matter if they were in the UK. They would still be on pre-season of some form, with business going on in the background.

Robert & Ian, I've been thinking of Andrey Santos too. Highly doubt Chelsea would sell him.

Is it worth getting a youngster who needs ironing out on loan with a buy option? Probably so if the player is good enough though frustrating to do a rival's development work for them.

Dele Alli has been kicked out of the Como squad.

Who sanctioned his move to Everton? That lad has been bad news for years now.

And don't give me any of that “mental health issues” crap.

For whatever reason, Colin, a very talented footballer lost his way.

I wouldn't dismiss mental health as crap to be honest, mate. I've had plenty of colleagues who have suffered from it. It's not the days of sticking people in strait-jackets in an asylum or WW1 when they were suffering from what was then called shellshock.

Anyway, more sad football news this morning. Morecambe suspended from the National League and on the brink of collapse, unless a buyer is found by the end of next week.

Sheffield Wednesday causing concern with the EFL and uncertainty as to whether they can fulfil their first fixture next week over serious financial issues.

Danny 162

Morecambe and Sheff Wed must have complied with EFL P&S rules surely! After all they are there to 'protect' all clubs from perilous financial situations, aren't they?

I know we have done this to death but PSR in the Premier Leaguem and EFL aren't fit for purpose if the likes of Sheffield Wednesday are close to going into administration.

With football being tribal, I doubt fans of Blackpool or Sheffield United will be shedding any tears but, looking at the bigger picture, the league have failed both set of fans.

Colin @161, have you got any first hand experience of mental health issues?

I get you made a flippant comment about Dele Alli but, at the time when Frank signed him, it was a massive gamble with the odds stacked against him making it back to a level he once played at… but that was the market we were or still are in.

Brandon Williams, the right-back ex-Man Utd player, is available… would you be surprised if we moved for him?

Rob (164),

The odds against Dele Alli coming good were massive, so you wouldn't gamble over £12M on that deal!

Dave 167,

I wasn't against it at the time, in hindsight, it was a terrible mistake. Frank obviously thought he could get a tune out of Dele.

The way we are currently shaping up, it won't be the last gamble we take in the transfer market.

We just spent £30M on baby Beto.

It's rare that players, whose star has fallen, get back to where they were.

I was against Dele signing at the time, he'd hardly played for Spurs for 12 months. It's ultimately why my gut says no to Grealish. There are parallels – club manager wants him out, out of England picture, off-the-field issues.

We should never have signed him, but not sure why anyone wants to bring his mental health and, by association, his awful and abuse-filled upbringing, into it.

Sad for Sheffield Wed and Morecambe.

With numerous players leaving those clubs, just wondering if there any players there worth taking a punt on, even as squad members...

Justin James the latest to be linked.

£6M from Leicester; I think he's a right-back.

Rob (168), Fair enough.

A lot of transfers are gambles and, like you say, we will be taking some this window. Let's hope we win most of them to get our club back on track.

To take some of the heat off Colin, I have avoided some of the things I needed to do today and done this instead.

It is an inflation adjusted account of the 2005-06 season transfer window which illustrates what the players we bought then would cost in today's money. It's not my inflation adjustment – it's based on the link Ryan shared and the Transfermarkt transfer prices for each of the players.

I have converted the Euro Transfermarkt figures to £ based on today's currency exchange rate. I haven't gone back in time to find out what the currency exchange was 20 years ago. I'm not sad...

Anyway, these are the main players we bought (alongside Neville) in season 2005-06 – and their prices in today's money:

Neville: £24.86M
Davies: £25M
Kroldrup: £32.33M
Van der Meyde: £42.77M
Arteta: £13.2M

Total: £138.24M

I'm not saying this to do Moyes down by the way. He definitely did assemble a very good side (and rebuild it too) during his first stint with us. He also plainly didn't have the resources of the then Rich 6. Many summers came and went with very little investment at all - or practically none.

ps: Happy to admit I was wrong in saying Moyes bought Haller too (I'm not trying to stitch him up). Moyes did also personally unearth and scout many of these players too, showing a greater attention to long-term stability and improvement than many of his peers at the time Ü albeit in a simpler era that preceded the hugely data-driven, professionalised business of player (including youth player) trading and development.

I think this gives some perspective on how routine a transfer fee of between £20M to £40M now is – and that anything below the £20M mark is really, really cheap in Premier League terms.

The Alcaraz deal, for example is very similar to the Arteta deal. Let's hope it's as successful.

And if we get Dibling for about £40M or so, let's hope he's better than Shandy Andy. An extremely talented lad with no baggage so far as I am aware, I think he would make a big difference next season and could become really very exceptional over time.

I hope nobody minds if I change the subject.

There's a wonderful profile of Beto on The Athletic that I think everyone should read, and since it's behind a paywall I'm inexcusably posting it here in its entirety.

From playing in car parks and working at KFC to idolising Eto’o and Lukaku

Amid the swirl of delirium and chaos following Everton’s 2-2 draw against Liverpool in February, one player embarked on an individual lap of honour.

Beto scored the opening goal of the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park and an upturn in form under the returning David Moyes imbued the striker with fresh confidence.

“To tell you the truth,” says Beto, “I had thought the derby was just (another) game. But within the club, people like Seamus (Coleman) and Tony, the kit man, were saying, ‘You guys need to beat them’.

“Playing in that game, I fully understood this. I was like, ‘Wow, this is really good’; the tackles, they go strong, we go strong, they give it to me and I give it to them. I love this — the battle. Now the derby is in my blood. I don’t want to lose any game, but that game — I really don’t want to lose it.”

Undefeated in 16 of their final 19 top-flight matches under Moyes last season, Everton owed much to Beto, the 6ft 4in (193cm) forward who had toiled during his first 16 months at the club.

Signed under Sean Dyche for an initial fee of £21.5million ($28.5m) in August 2023, Beto scored three Premier League goals in his first season, and he had only one to his name in his second when Moyes took over in January.

The 27-year-old says he was on the brink of a move to Italy — only for an injury to Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the win at Brighton on January 25 to force Everton to keep him. From there, Beto scored crucial goals against Leicester City, Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Manchester United as Everton soared to safety. The striker, who Moyes describes as “rough and raucous”, transformed himself into a cult hero.

Speaking to The Athletic in a hotel lobby during Everton’s pre-season tour in New York City, Beto reflects, in absorbing detail, on a life and career that has taken him from playing in car parks on the outskirts of Lisbon, via a job at fast-food chain KFC, to a striker in the most competitive league in world football.

Beto grew up in the coastal municipality of Cascais, around half an hour’s drive from the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. He describes growing up in a “project” neighbourhood — essentially a form of social housing. “I liked it a lot,” he says. “We didn’t have much; we didn’t have parks or football pitches, but we played two-vs-two, or three-vs-three games in car parks.”

He wanted to play locally for a club team as a child, but the costs to register stretched the family’s budget. “For Mum (Filomena), we didn’t have so much money to spend on extra activities. For Mum, football was just a side activity. She preferred school, school, school.”

Beto, a Guinea-Bissau international, played football at break time and realised, despite his lack of practice, that his level was higher than many of his peers. His mum relented at the age of nine and he started to play at the weekends.

At home, access to the internet and satellite television was rare, meaning he watched very little football. “One day, we were choosing the number of the jersey on my shirt and I didn’t have any role model in football to refer to.

“They said, ‘Oh, you’re a striker, you need to wear the No 9 like Samuel Eto’o’. I said, ‘I don’t know (who) Eto’o (is), but, OK, I can be No 9’.”

That summer, in 2009, Barcelona played the Champions League final against Man United, and Eto’o scored.

“My friend’s family lived on the ground floor of my building and had television access. I was by the window outside watching the game. I saw the goal and Eto’o’s celebration and thought, ‘This is the guy they all told me about’. So I said, ‘OK, let me follow this guy’. He became my idol.”

Later, when he bought a mobile phone, he watched video compilations of Eto’o’s goals. He later became inspired by players such as Didier Drogba, Romelu Lukaku and Christian Benteke. He saw in their stories, as Black players who overcame challenging upbringings, a little of himself.

“It makes you think, ‘Maybe, just maybe, I can do it, too’. You never know.”

Beto’s beginnings in football were not conventional. He spent only one year in an elite academy before being released by Benfica at the age of 14. He then spent two years barely playing before making his start in senior football in the Portuguese amateur leagues.

“When I was at Benfica, I didn’t think about being a professional. I was afraid. I could feel and always knew I was not at their level. So when they released me, I said, ‘It’s OK with me. I’m not as good as I thought I was’. It was a reality check.

“I spent two years in no man’s land. I was doing stupid stuff — I wasn’t playing, I wasn’t studying… I was thinking I don’t care about the world. My mum took me out from football because I wasn’t behaving well in school.

“I have one thing in my mind from Benfica. I asked one guy, ‘Do you think you’re going to be professional?’. He said, ‘Yes, of course’. I was like, ‘F*****g hell, this guy is not afraid’. He said: ‘If I’m not professional here, I will be professional in another place’. I wasn’t thinking like that. I was afraid to say it.”

As Beto’s potential career teetered, he threw himself into earning money. He worked at KFC. “It was good. I always wanted to earn my own money. Until I was 15 or 16, I acted spoiled. I tried to have what my friends in school had and I didn’t have the awareness that my mum couldn’t afford things.

“My friend would say his dad paid for his driving licence, and I would go home and ask my mum for a driving licence. Now, with time, I see the things that my mum personally went through for me and my sisters.

“The first job I did was working in the woodland cutting the weeds. I did one month of work, they paid me €300. Every day, I was happy to go to work because I knew I would have my reward. I gave my mum some of it to help her pay the bills. She wanted me to go through college, but I told her I can’t go. It was too boring. I just didn’t have interest at all. I would go there and want to sleep. I said, ‘No, this is not for me’. One thing was sure; if I was not going to college, I would not be allowed to sit at home. I needed to put money in the house.”

Playing amateur football, he would work in the day and train at night, before playing games on a Sunday — his one day off.

“Every form of work is good to humble yourself,” he says, recalling the shifts at KFC. Beto played at amateur and lower-league levels for Uniao Tires and Olimpico Montijo before breaking into the top flight with Portimonense. He earned a move to Udinese in Serie A and then Everton.

“Mum gave me discipline. She and my sister educated me, so I never went to the wrong side. I remember when I told her I want to make it as a professional. For me to have even been thinking about the Premier League is just like… You are kidding! I knew the minimum salary for a professional footballer in Portugal was €1,250. No one in our family earned a thousand. I just thought if I became professional, I can help pay the bills.

“Even in Italy, I never thought that I would go to England. But then Everton came! Everton of Lukaku! My mind was saying Lukaku played there, Eto’o played there. So if I could play in Everton, it would be a dream. I think I’m blessed.”

Beto is thoughtful about his unusual football education. “It helps me in some ways, but in some aspects of my game, I miss those basics that you learn when you are in an academy.

“It is the simplest things; passing one touch, receiving the ball, holding the ball. You learn these in professional academies because you do repetition, whereas at the smallest clubs like mine, we just go there, train, and it’s less specific.”

Moyes tells The Athletic that “the modern-day centre-half wants to be no-contact, but Beto wants to do things differently — he is running in behind, he’s a powerful, big boy, he’s got bits about him which you wouldn’t enjoy playing against”. He adds, “A lot of managers would say they’re always worried about Beto. His unpredictability for us… is certainly the same for the defenders as well.”

In Italy, Beto learned from other leading strikers. “The first time I saw aura was Zlatan Ibrahimovic. We drew 1-1, I scored and he scored. When I played against Lukaku, he recognised me. He said, ‘You are playing better, keep going’. I was very happy. I said, ‘Wow, I made it. These small things are really good for me’.”

Beto admits to finding his start to life at Everton challenging. “Everything was too physical,” he says. “The intensity killed me. I wasn’t playing well. I started losing confidence. Without confidence, I can’t do nothing. It was a tough season, but it was good to train my mind because it was stressful.

“I was going home and looking at my videos from Italy and saying, ‘But I can play football, why is it not working?’. You question yourself a lot and this is the worst part. It was a blessing, too, because I learned from that.”

Moyes says Beto’s determination stands out: “Every day we are saying, ‘Come on, will you come off the training ground?’. He really is trying to improve in everything he does.”

Beto says, “I care about training. It brings me fire. If training goes not so well, I want to do extra — just to feed myself a little.”

In his first season, Beto struggled with the criticism he received on social media. “It was not easy. I used to (pay attention). If I or Everton posted a picture, I would go to the comments and they might say Beto was not good today. This is not good to read because you can be strong, but you’re going to create something in your subconscious by taking all the comments in. If you care about the criticism, whether it is good or bad, it can make you shake. The ego is a difficult thing to balance.”

Last summer, ahead of the new season, he worked overtime to prepare his body for the rigours of a full Premier League season. “If I get my fitness right for the Premier League, I think I can smash everyone. This was my mindset. I trained so hard in the off-season. The beginning of the season wasn’t the way I wanted. By the end, all the work that I put in paid off.”

The challenge now, as Everton seek to strengthen their forward line, is to do it all over again.

“I have a goal target, but that is personal. Nobody knows it — even the manager. I want to be a better player and goalscorer than I was last season.”

I know what most of us think about the Echo. Anyone have any idea why we can't log on now?

I keep getting blocked and asked to pay a couple of quid?
Every time I go back, same shit.

Mike @197, a good interview with a very likeable man. The last few paragraphs also show how players are likely to read quite a lot of what fans write about them on the internet.

I've often been vexed by some of the mindless criticisms that have been piled on players by our supporters (same at all clubs, I'm sure) especially when some of those players are trying their very best, often struggling to settle in new homes.

Sure, they earn ridiculous amounts of money, but I think many of us would do well to remember that they are nonetheless human beings who would benefit from their own supporters lifting them up rather than tearing them down.

Beto is a very likeable guy - and I expect will do a good job for us next season.

Interesting though about Eto'o. I don't know enough about him at all to comment on whether he had a hard start in life (as the article seems to suggest). But I do know his dad was an accountant in Cameroon so I'd assumed he had a quite a middle-class upbringing (whatever that means in West Africa).

On a very, very vaguely related note - I know I often pour cold water over the chances of our academy players, but it wouldn't surprise me if Polish-Cameroonian Jonathan Nsangou makes his debut at some level for us next season (after his Dad's very unusual journey to the NorthWest of England) along with Malick Olayiwola.

An excellent Beto read. From the start, I have been willing Beto to come good. I read about his background and wanted a fairy story ending. I still like him a lot and was so pleased for his purple patch last season.

My heart wants to see that fairy tale but my head sees something very different. I honestly hope I'm wrong, but I just don't think the lad has what it takes to be a Premier League success story. Prove me wrong, Beto!

West Ham have agreed to sign former Newcastle and Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson free on a 12-month contract.

Hope we don't regret not bringing him in.

Robert #202, I loved the profile because it demonstrates that with enough talent and determination, a footballer can make it to the very top even via an untraditional path.

And I was interested to note that he recognizes the deficiency in his touch, and that it's a result of his spending his key formative years 14-16 serving chicken and chopping weeds instead of doing thousands of repetitions in a football academy.

Paul 206. Think I'd stop watching football altogether if a window ended that badly that I regretted not seeing Callum Wilson sign for us.

Robert (201),

Last paragraph, yes, two very young but very good potential players if we can keep hold of them.

Robert @194,

As expected, detailed research and insight.

It also raises the fact that by those calculations, we spent over £100M on 3 underachievers in Davies, Krøldrup and Van der Meyde.

Although I agree, inflation is the main driver, other factors will have contributed. Increased TV revenue and what you always mention, how English players' prices have become over-inflated.

Thanks again, Robert.

No problem, Danny. A weirdly interesting exercise!

Mike #197

I've been subscribing to The Athletic for a few years and it's a really good read. Some excellent articles and not just about Everton or football.

Well worth the £1 a month it costs!

James Justin wouldn't be a bad option at right-back and probably wouldn't cost too much.

Fun rumor (sorry, rumour): the Italian journo Matteo Moretto, who is reliable enough to work for ESPN, reports we are attempting to hijack Wolves' move for Sevilla right back Juanlu Sanchez. Wolves have been trying to hijack him from a Napoli bid. Price reported at £15-19M.

Sanchez, who turns 22 this month, has appeared 58 times for Sevilla in La Liga and 6 times in the Champions League. Can also play the wing and center mid. 4 goals, 4 assists last season in the league.

Mike, interesting article about Beto. Also interesting to see he sees what people write about him.

Hope he doesn't read that tongue-in-cheek AI-generated trilogy about Beto and Calvert-Lewin that I posted a month or so back!

Sam (200), Well said.

The players must sometimes think with supporters like these, who needs enemies?!

Colin #111, hardball seems to be the TFG way.

They did it purchasing Roma and us if you remember? And it worked out for them.

Eric, I don't have an issue with them being a harder touch. What they should do is get one in now to reduce some pressure and need.

It avoids fan and manager anxiety, and probably reduces pressure from selling clubs on us later. There's ways of paying what the selling club wants via easier add-ons, rather than straight up-front cash.

I read Man City are looking for £12M to cover his wages. That's a fair chunk of change, but member City are covering £16M in basic wages and £20M amortisation. If Everton want a mega cheap deal, this will go to the last knocking of the window. On this one, I'd probably wait it out and pursue others first.

John Brownhill is looking for £100k a week on a free transfer.

Cheap and available, I suspect we will be in for him, but I think we need better. Brownhill will cost £5M basic minimum, will not improve and will leave for nothing.

Sam @200,

I said throughout the post-January run in last season when he got a run, you can't help like Beto. He is popular with the supporters in the stadium and with the players.

He may be clumsy, might miss chances he should score, but he doesn't hide and will score goals, or provide opportunities for others by being a handful and a distraction to defenders.

There will always be different opinions on players and some always have a scapegoat based on those opinions. I spent long enough sticking up for Leon Osman and Tony Hibbert.

Once the change happened last season, it was refreshing to be going to the match feeling upbeat again, with the supporters behind the team.

Thanks John and yes Danny, I was pleased to see Beto's effort rewarded with some end product and popularity.

There will always be players who divide opinions (Schneiderlin was one of my least favourites) but some people take it too far in my opinion and it doesn't help us at all.

Yerry Mina has eyes on a Prem return — and can leave Cagliari for £1.8million.

Anyone seen anything of Juanlu Sanchez who we're supposedly trying to steal away from Wolves after they hijacked his move to Napoli?

4 goals & 6 assists last season and can play right-wing or right-back.

Iain, yes, I've seen and read a little. Definitely one of the better right-back options out there. Pretty attacking option as the stats suggest but a decent defender too.

At £14M, I think he'd be a good buy but have a feeling Moyes sees O'Brien at right-back.

Not seen us linked to him yet by a more reliable source.

This link has been around for months

https://www.reddit.com/r/Everton/comments/1ivmwn4/everton_in_recent_weeks_have_sounded_out_sevillas/

Yerry Mina over Michael Keane everyday!

Yeah, Ryan, we were first connected with him in the January window.

I would tend to treat a Moretto report as more solid. He mostly writes on Arsenal for ESPN. But he had one of the earliest tips on us being in for Barry.

Liam #279, my first thought exactly. Wish Yerry's availability had popped up before we re-signed Keane. The big guy seems to have found the secret to health at Cagliari. Missed only four of 51 games due to injury.

Abdul Fatawu just scored a worldie for Leicester. Excellent young RW when fit with pace to burn. But probably too high risk after his injury. If he stays fit he will dominate the Championship this year.