Claims that Everton are having to fend off interest from Tottenham Hotspur for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have to be one of the strangest transfer rumours of the year.

With a 13-day gap in between Blues fixtures, it seems that tittle-tattle is being used to fill the void as Football Insider report that sources have told them Everton are set to resist attempts to prise Dewsbury-Hall away from the club and are ready to take a firm stance that they will “definitely” not sell the 27-year-old with Spurs linked with a move for him.

Just where this Tottenham speculation has come from remains a mystery, but the thought that either Hill Dickinson Stadium chiefs or the player himself would be looking to entertain any such switch seems utterly bizarre. Back in the summer of 2022, Richarlison’s transfer from Everton to Spurs was negotiated across the dining table in the elegant surroundings of Scott’s in Mayfair.

The plush seafood restaurant sells caviar and boasts an elegant oyster and champagne bar, but the Blues’ late chairman Bill Kenwright still left with a bad taste in his mouth as he felt that opposite number Daniel Levy had his club over...