David Moyes has steered Everton to five matches unbeaten so far this season despite being left with a squad that contains just one striker, one right-back and one left-back
Everton manager David Moyes and (inset) Dan and Ryan Friedkin plus Angus Kinnear
Everton manager David Moyes and (inset) Dan and Ryan Friedkin plus Angus Kinnear
View Image
David Moyes has been let down by The Friedkin Group and is working miracles with his side still unbeaten five matches into the season, reckons a former Everton star.
Back in August, the day after Sky Sports broadcast Moyes insisting: “We’re still needing quite a few players to add to the squad,” Blues chief executive Angus Kinnear invited BBC Radio Merseyside’s Giulia Bould and fan media groups to a series of interviews at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The CEO who is considered a mouthpiece for TFG – with chairman Dan Friedkin having never been to Goodison Park or Hill Dickinson Stadium or spoken to Moyes – claimed that the club’s ownership considered last season a failure as “They have bought Everton to win football matches.” However, in contrast to the remarks made by the 63-year-old who steered the Blues to nine top-eight finishes during his first spell in charge, including their highest ever Premier League position of fourth, he claimed: “I think the squad’s in a really good place.”
Kinnear also predicted: “This window again, I think we will spend more than most of our competitors, the owners are very keen to back us.”
However, after the window closed Everton were down in 15th place among Premier League clubs when it came to net spend. Indeed, they were one of just half a dozen teams to make a trading profit.
Despite pocketing over £100million on deadline day with their most creative talent Iliman Ndiaye, last season’s top scorer Beto, Tim Iroegbunam and Nathan Patterson all sold, plus Adam Aznou loaned out, following the late collapse of the purchase of USA World Cup star Folarin Balogun from Monaco, Everton were left with a first-team squad of 18 outfield players that contains just one striker, one left-back and one right-back.
Highly decorated and respected sports journalist Henry Winter observed: “At the very least, Everton owe their frustrated fans some form of explanation for that chaotic, embarrassing and deeply disappointing transfer window.” Meanwhile, both Phil McNulty, chief football writer for BBC Sport, and Andy Hunter, Merseyside football correspondent for the Guardian described the situation as “a shambles.”
Although he was dealt such a challenging hand, Moyes, who has accumulated more Premier League points than any other manager in the competition’s history after serial title winners Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, has guided Everton to five games unbeaten so far in the 2026/27 season.
Asked if the Glaswegian gaffer has been let down by the club’s owners, Richard Dunne, speaking courtesy of OLBG, told the ECHO: “I think he has. If they’ve made promises to him and told him they were going to strengthen the squad and leave the money there for him to spend, to get back-up players or squad players for each position, they’ve not done that.
“David Moyes hasn’t been able to strengthen the squad massively this summer. Certainly on deadline day, when they sold Beto and failed to bring in a striker, I think that was a real disappointment for them.
“Like all managers and all squads, they always want to add and make themselves stronger and move on to that next level. The players Everton have brought in, probably apart from Jack Grealish, you’re hoping they’re going to hit the ground running, you’re hoping they’re going to have good seasons, you’re hoping they’re going to turn into top Premier League players but none of them are guaranteed at the moment.
“You have to balance the expectations at Everton with the amount of money that’s been spent. The squad building that’s gone on over the last couple of years doesn’t look like it’s been the perfect strategy, so it’s just about filling gaps all the time. It makes David Moyes’ job really hard when he doesn’t have the players he wants to fulfil the dreams the fans have.”
The Dubliner, who made his debut for Everton as a 17-year-old in 1997 before going on to make 431 Premier League appearances throughout his career, is also keeping a close eye on his fellow Republic of Ireland international defender Jake O’Brien. A centre-back by trade, the County Cork man joined the Blues from Olympique Lyonnais for €19.5million (£16.43m) in July 2024 but failed to start a Premier League game under Sean Dyche.
Following Moyes’ return in January 2025, O’Brien has spent most of his time at right-back – making his first appearance of the season as a 75th minute substitute in the goalless draw at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening – reprising the role. Asked if the 25-year-old can break into the team as a centre-back, Dunne said: “I think he can.
“Talent-wise, he can. He’s a very good player, Jake O’Brien.
“The fact that he wants to play centre-half is probably normal. He’s learned his trade in the Premier League playing right-back.
“He’s done that for a couple of seasons and done really, really well, but now he wants to play in his best position. I think the manager probably sees him as the fourth-choice centre-half behind James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite and Michael Keane.
“If that’s the road Jake wants to go down – he wants to be a centre-half, he wants to wait for his opportunities – then he just has to be patient. Again, it’s about getting a run of games.
“If he can get four or five games in that centre-half position and nail down a place next to Branthwaite or Tarkowski, then you can see the full potential of him, he needs games. It’s probably another thing he’ll assess come January, whether he thinks he’s getting closer to that starting eleven, or whether he thinks it’s time to move on.”