The Friedkin Group announced on October 9 that they were looking to offload their controlling stake in Everton
Roma president Dan Friedkin and son Ryan Friedkin during the match Roma v Verona at the Stadio Olimpico. Rome (Italy), January 20th, 2024 (Photo by Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
Dan Friedkin and son Ryan Friedkin are looking to sell Everton(Image: Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
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With Everton in need of stability as owners The Friedkin Group look to sell the club, a former Premier League star says the Houston-based company would be “daft” not to hand David Moyes a new contract.
Hill Dickinson Stadium chiefs pocketed over £100million on transfer deadline day with the Blues’ 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, Moyes was left with a first-team squad of just 18 outfield players that contains of a solitary striker, left-back and right-back.
Then, on October 9, TFG announced that the club was up for sale, less than 22 months after they had completed their takeover to obtain Farhad Moshiri’s 99.5% controlling stake.
That prompted Henry Winter and Christian Purslow to declare on The Football Boardroom podcast last month that Moyes – whose current two-and-a-half year deal expires at the end of this season – should be tied down with the latter remarking that you need to you need to make him an asset in a sale process and “that’s the first and most obvious thing to do.”
READ MORE: I know how tough David Moyes is with Everton's players but he made me rethink my game for the better
The Glaswegian, who steered Everton to nine top-eight finishes including their highest ever Premier League position of fourth during his first spell in charge has again worked miracles with his limited resources so far this term, guiding the team to sixth place and having now equalled Harry Catterick’s record for the most games as Blues boss in the club’s history.
And Kevin Phillips has echoed the sentiments of Winter and Purslow. Speaking courtesy of BestBettingSites.co.uk the former England international, who scored 92 Premier League goals, including 30 in his debut season with Sunderland in 1999/2000 under the management of Everton legend Peter Reid, which earned him the Golden Boot, told the ECHO: “I think David Moyes reaching that landmark shows his love for football, his management skills, his leadership skills, his skill set, everything you need to be successful as a manager.
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“You need to communicate with people, and I think his communication skills are excellent. He knows how to get what he wants across to players on the pitch, and you’ve seen that with the transformation since he’ s gone back to Everton.
“I’ve been in his company a couple of times, and he’s a genuinely humble guy, one of the good ones, and I think sometimes that gets you a long way in life. Of course, you have to have the qualities too.
“When you look at the managers that have been at that club over the years, Howard Kendall, he’s a legend. David Moyes goes right to the very, very top.
“So, to manage that amount of games, let alone do it at one club, is an absolutely incredible achievement. He’ll break the record in his next game but I just think he’s a top, top manager, and the records are there for everyone to see.”
David Moyes during Everton's win over Coventry City
David Moyes during Everton's win over Coventry City(Image: (Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images))
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In terms of rewarding Moyes for his work with a new contract, Phillips, 53, added: “Well, you’d be daft not to, wouldn’t you? He clearly still has the appetite for football. He lives and breathes it. He gives it everything, and he gets results.
“With some clubs, you have to be very careful what you wish for. We’ve seen it so many times, and it's backfired.
“You’ve got a manager there that loves the football club, knows the football club, and the fans love him. Why would you even consider not giving him a new contract?
“The fans, I think, would be in an uproar if they didn’t. So yeah, for me, it’s a no-brainer to give him a new deal.”