Despite stories that Everton were likely to have a quiet Janaury transfer window it has been one full of rumours and unexpected possibilities.
Most of these though have been about players leaving rather than any new additions to a squad in need of bolstering, both in terms of numbers and quality.
The most persistent stories surround the futures of Amadou Onana and Arnaut Danjuma.
Both players are said to be the target of other clubs potentially meaning they could leave this month.
Today comes further reports that not only is Danjuma in demand but in fact he has now agreed personal terms with French side Lyon.
According to these media speculations the Dutchman is now just waiting on the Toffees to find out whether the club will allow him to move away from Merseyside.
All this seems to have happened very quickly and comes after an increasingly difficult and frustrating last few weeks of the season before and then just after the New Year.
Everton were still coming to terms with the disasterous decision by the Premier League's independent commission to deduct ten points in November and then faced a tough set of matches around the festive period.
At first the Blues managed the relentless series of games well, despite the limited numbers in Sean Dyche's first-team squad.
But then as injuries grew, things started to go wrong with four Premier League wins in a row followed by three consecutive defeats culminating in a 3-0 hammering at Wolves to end 2023. Fatigue was beginning to tell.
Then came a frustrating and largely forgettable goalless draw at Crystal Palace in the FA Cup third round, remembered mostly for the sending off of Dominic Calvert-Lewin after a VAR review reversed the referee's original decision not to red card him.
While that controversial decision was itself eventually overturned on appeal, one other significant event that day at Selhurst Park was Dwight McNeil's injury.
The former Burnley man became the latest Toffees player to get hurt recently after Seamus Coleman, Ashley Young, Andoulaye Doucoure and Idrissa Gueye had all been injured. it is still not clear how serious his injury is.
Given how limited Dyche's options are the obvious replacement is Danjuma but now it seems ;possible Everton might even be ready to let him go.
This is frankly hard to fathom with so many difficult games coming up and such a small squad of healthy players for the manager to pick from.
Surely, the club can't be seriously comtemplating letting Danjuma go now? Although the jury is perhaps still out on the Villarreal man he is the only viable alternative to McNeil and such a decision would leave the team severely handcuffed in attack.