David Moyes has revealed he has never spoken to Everton owner Dan Friedkin since returning as manager in January 2025, but insists he will not walk away from the club despite a chaotic summer transfer window leaving him with a depleted squad.
Moyes had kept a low profile during the summer and is approaching the final year of his contract. His side face Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, still unbeaten after two games, but the Scot has nonetheless endured his most difficult period since returning to the club.
The Toffees saw five players depart towards the end of the transfer window – Iliman Ndiaye, Beto, Tim Iroegbunam, Nathan Patterson and Adam Aznou, who joined Malaga on loan – while the proposed £40m sale of Harrison Armstrong to Nottingham Forest was abandoned following a furious reaction from supporters.
Everton did strengthen on deadline day, bringing Jack Grealish back from Manchester City on loan and signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles from Lyon.
However, the failure to land Folarin Balogun left Moyes with just one recognised senior striker, Thierno Barry, while the overall size of his squad remains a concern with only 18 senior outfield players available until the winter window.
The transfer business has intensified scrutiny on how Everton is run, making Moyes’ revelation about his relationship with Friedkin particularly striking.
Friedkin, who also owns Serie A side Roma, completed his takeover of Everton in December 2024 but has yet to attend an Everton game.
Friedkin leaves the day-to-day running of the club to his son-in-law Rishi Majithia, while Moyes’ principal point of contact is chief executive Angus Kinnear.
Asked directly whether he had ever spoken to Friedkin during his 20 months back at Everton, Moyes replied: “No.
“My real contact is Angus [Kinnear, chief executive]. Angus is the one who I would go to see. Rishi is the next one and then the head of the Friedkin family in America.
“I don’t really get any direct conversations with them, but I do through Rishi, he is the one I would speak to.”
The Scot nevertheless remains committed to the club and dismissed any suggestion that the difficult circumstances could prompt him to quit.
“It’s never going to be easy,” added Moyes. “You know what happens in these situations, there’s only one person who tends to get called out at the end [the manager].”
Asked why he continues to put himself through those difficulties, Moyes’ response was unequivocal.
“Everton’s different,” said the 63-year-old, who is preparing to face his former club on Sunday at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
“I wouldn’t have come back for anybody but Everton. I think the club here has had enough days when the people find a way of recovering. People saw the face of Evertonians last week [against Bournemouth] and it can be really powerful. I would expect them to be really powerful now.
“But powerful for the team, powerful for the players. What we’re going to need from them is extra because we’re short. So we need them. If they’re not with us, then it’s terrible. And they are with us, I believe they are with us.”
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Moyes also believes the difficult circumstances can provide an opportunity for Everton to come together and achieve more than might otherwise have been expected.
“We don’t have a huge squad, but sometimes you need to do something special in football, and we will attempt to do something special,” Moyes added.
“I love Everton and always have done. It’s reinvigorated me being back and now there’s a little bump in the road. I need to get over the bump quickly and start looking at how I can make it go smoothly.”
With Friedkin yet to speak directly with his manager and Everton emerging from a turbulent transfer window, Moyes now faces the task of turning a difficult summer into a rallying point for the club.
After hosting Man Utd, Everton visit Tottenham Hotspur next Saturday.
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