Joleon Lescott was signed by David Moyes during his first spell in charge of Everton in 2006 and spent three years with the Blues
Joleon Lescott acknowledges the fans after Everton's final match at Goodison Park against Southampton on May 18, 2025
Joleon Lescott acknowledges the fans after Everton's final match at Goodison Park against Southampton on May 18, 2025(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
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Former Everton star Joleon Lescott has lifted the lid over David Moyes’ explanation to him how he has evolved as a manager to get the best out of today’s players.
Lescott joined the Blues from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2006 after Moyes had personally scouted him intensively – watching him play on no fewer than 24 separate occasions – but despite having no Premier League experience at the time, he proved to be another diamond from the rough in the Championship who the Scot polished up, like Tim Cahill before him or later Jarrod Bowen at West Ham United.
The defender made 143 appearances for Everton, scoring 17 goals during his three seasons at Goodison Park and just over a year after his move to Merseyside, he replaced Rio Ferdinand as a half-time substitute in a 3-0 win over Estonia on October 13, 2007, to win the first of 26 England caps.
Moyes was the youngest manager in the Premier League when he first arrived at Everton in 2002 as a 38-year-old but at 63 he now finds himself as the division’s elder statesman. That doesn’t just bring added experience and maturity but also a more progressive outlook with the Glaswegian gaffer now dealing with a different generation of players.
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Speaking exclusively to Betway after appearing as a guest on Head2Head From The Clubhouse, presented by Betway, Lescott told the ECHO: “David Moyes is massive for Everton, and when the new ownership took over at Everton, he was the obvious appointment to repair relationships between the club and the fans.
“It's fitting that he’s going to be the man to overtake Harry Catterick’s record, and I’m sure that’s a huge honour for him. When you think about Everton in the modern day, you think of David Moyes, and you can’t understate what he’s done for the club during his time there.
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“I think what makes David so great is his passion and how much he cares about Everton. He cares about winning first and foremost, but I spoke to him recently, and he said he’s really had to evolve as a manager in recent years because he struggled during his first period to really build those personal relationships with the players.
“He talked about how important that it is now for any modern manager to be able to have those solid relationships with your players, and no doubt that’s made him an even better manager because his understanding of the game tactically is second to none.”
David Moyes applauds the fans after the match between Everton and Coventry City at Hill Dickinson Stadium on November 6, 2026
David Moyes applauds the fans after the match between Everton and Coventry City at Hill Dickinson Stadium on November 6, 2026(Image: Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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The 44-year-old added: “There’s no doubt that he helped me progress into the player I became during my time at the club, and he rightly gets credit for recognising the promise I had, but it would be wrong to say it was just him.
“Alan Irvine was really good with me at that time, as was Steve Round, and I’d have to give them a lot of credit for the time they put in with me on the training ground. Everything has always been about the team though with David Moyes, and my personal development would be second to the needs of the team, and I completely respected that.”
Although Lescott departed the Blues in somewhat acrimonious circumstances, with Moyes refusing the player’s request to be taken out of the squad for the first home game of the 2009/10 season before he turned out in a 6-1 defeat to Arsenal before completing a £22million transfer to Manchester City, the Brummie ace now reflects on their time together with great fondness.
He said: “I absolutely loved my time at Everton, and I’m so thankful to the club for giving me my first proper taste of Premier League football. The passion that everybody around the place has for the club hits you straight away, whether it's the backroom staff or the supporters.
“Of course that comes with pressure, but I absolutely loved what it meant to anybody, and it was just the perfect place for me at that time to develop as a footballer.”