Jack Rodwell Snubs Manchester United

I almost cried when I heard the news, but I didn't. Why? Because it isn't official yet. Oh how I hope this comes into fruition.

Mail Online and Goal.com are reporting that Jack Rodwell has turned down an offer by Man U. He is instead set to sign a five-year contract with Everton worth around 30,000 pounds per week.

If this story is true, it will be a huge sigh of relief for the club and the fans. We will now be able to turn our attention to keeping Arteta and Pienaar.

Lescott Deja Vu

Everton has sent a strong message to both Arsenal and Manchester United that Phil Jagielka is not for sale. This seems eerily familiar to how the Joleon Lescott affair started out. Not to say this will play out exactly the same, because Lescott wanted to leave and was vocal about it. Just saying that this was how it started last year too.

Here's some other transfer rumors and news:

-Since there are a number of clubs keen on securing West Ham's Carlton Cole, West Ham is looking at Yakubu as a possible replacement. There is definitely a possibility that Moyes is willing to sell Yakubu as long as a decent price is offered. Yakubu has struggled to find form since returning from a ruptured Achilles tendon. Sources: ESPN and Goal.com.

- I don't know how good this source is so you are going to have to bear with me, but tribalfootball.com says that we may be in the race (with Aston Villa) to sign Tottenham winger David Bentley. A fee 10 million pounds seems like a bargain.

- This news is a little late but Dan Gosling is ahead of schedule in his recovery from knee surgery. He was projected to be out for 9 months, but is expected to recover sooner than that according to BBC Sport.

- Marseille's Hatem Ben Arfa is on David Moyes' radar yet again. He has had a great season with the Ligue 1 winners and has voiced his interest for playing in England. "To have a chance to play in England would be wonderful but the sporting project is more interesting to me than any sums of money." Source: Goal.com
Seems like David Moyes is getting ready to replace Steven Pienaar in case he leaves. David Bentley and Hatem Ben Arfa are both wingers like Pienaar and would be good, cheap replacements.

Rumor Mill Update

These are some updates to previous rumors heard:

- Daily Post has a great article that talks about Moyes' interest in Jermaine Beckford. It pretty much says that Moyes is still considering Beckford and that he is one of a couple of strikers that he is "mulling over". The Toffees are also facing competition from Parma as well as a bunch of other clubs.

- One of the other strikers that Moyes seems to be considering is Bobby Zamora of Fulham. The sun reports that Aston Villa and Birmingham City are also vying for Zamora's services. I don't think Zamora will be a good signing. The 8 million pound price tag seems high for someone who historically has had trouble finding the back of the net. I would rather have Bellamy or even take a shot with Beckford.

- Goal.com is reporting that Chelsea and Manchester United are "ready to go toe-to-toe" for Jack Rodwell. The article then precedes to explain that even though Everton would like to keep him, we may lose him just like we failed to keep Wayne Rooney. One thing they forget is that Everton had to sell Rooney in order to stay afloat as the club was going through some financial difficulties in 2004.