Kevin Phillips believes David Moyes was let down by Everton’s owners during the summer transfer window after the manager was left with a smaller squad than he wanted.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, the former Premier League striker said Moyes’ frustration had been apparent despite Everton making several additions during the summer.
“You probably have to say so,” Phillips said when asked whether The Friedkin Group had let the manager down. We don’t know the ins and outs, but listening to David Moyes, watching his interviews, he’s clearly frustrated that he wasn’t able to bring more players in.”
Moyes has made little secret of wanting a bigger squad, although Everton’s unbeaten start has demonstrated how well he has managed the players available to him.
“He knows the squad is light, but in his words, it’s an opportunity for other people to step up and get their opportunity,” Phillips added. “So, one door closes, others open.”
Phillips questions Everton’s summer business
Everton brought in Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Jack Grealish late in the window, but deadline day also saw several senior players leave the Hill Dickinson. Iliman Ndiaye joined Manchester City, Beto moved to Fiorentina, Tim Iroegbunam signed for Hull City and Nathan Patterson went to Torino.
Ndiaye’s deal could eventually be worth £65m, Beto left for £15.5m and Iroegbunam’s move was reported at £15m plus a further £7m in potential add-ons. Patterson also left permanently for an undisclosed fee.
Phillips believes Moyes would have preferred more additions before the window closed. “But yeah, I think he would have loved another three, four signings,” he said. “They brought Ainsley Maitland-Niles in, and they brought Jack Grealish in, but they let good players leave, and that’s never ideal.”
The issue of Everton selling valuable players has already been raised elsewhere, with former England defender Danny Mills arguing that the sale of key assets concerned him more than Dan Friedkin’s absence from matches.
Phillips also questioned whether Moyes had been given all the financial backing he wanted. “So potentially, was there an issue of him not being given the funds?” he said. “We know that the club are looking for new investors already after two years, which could be slightly concerning.”
The latter is Phillips’ own assessment rather than something Everton or The Friedkin Group have announced. TFG completed its takeover in December 2024, so his reference to “after two years” should also be read as part of his comments rather than a precise timeline being presented by the club.
Phillips made the remarks in comments made to the Liverpool Echo, with the size of Moyes’ squad an issue the Everton manager has discussed himself since the window closed.
Moyes has nevertheless overseen an unbeaten start to the campaign, and Phillips believes the manager will continue to make the most of the players available.
“But listen, David Moyes will get the best out of that squad,” he said. “We’ve already seen that this season.”
We looked more closely at the summer business in our Everton updates on Maitland-Niles and Friedkin, while the ownership discussion also featured in our earlier Grealish and Friedkin talking points.
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