Former West Ham boss David Moyes is haunting his old club as he plots his Everton evolution.
West Ham have big plans this summer under Graham Potter and Kyle Macaulay.
According to David Moyes himself, Everton are finally in a position to start spending after battling with PSR restrictions in recent years.
The Hammers are facing a tightening of the belt this summer according to sources close to the owners.
However, top journalist David Ornstein claims West Ham will still be very active this summer.
Everton have funds for Moyes and it’s bad news for West Ham
Value for money will be more crucial than ever for West Ham, who were very wasteful in last summer’s window.
So the last thing Potter and head of recruitment Macaulay need are long, drawn-out transfer battles.
There was plenty of love between Moyes and West Ham fans when the Hammers went to Everton last time out.
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
Behind the scenes, though, the Scot is plotting to put a real spanner in the works of his old side’s summer blueprint.
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
When Moyes departed the London Stadium, he left behind the second oldest squad in the Premier League.
Somehow, after a £155m spend on nine players, Tim Steidten and Julen Lopetegui managed to make the Hammers squad the oldest.
Potter and Macaulay are aiming to fix that by rebuilding West Ham around young, hungry talent – with eyes firmly fixed on good value stars from the Championship.
However, Moyes has just wrecked a West Ham transfer plan with his Everton double raid.
According to Scottish journalist Alan Nixon, who counts Moyes as one of his oldest sources in football, the Toffees have launched moves for two top West Ham targets.
Moyes wrecks West Ham transfer plan with Everton double raid
One player the Everton boss is plotting a move for is a star the Hammers have been very confident of signing.
Nixon has revealed on his Patreon that Moyes made a ‘personal check’ on Burnley’s classy centre half Maxime Esteve.
He reports that Moyes watched the defender in person as the Clarets beat Bristol City and added to their impressive all-time second tier record of 28 clean sheets.
West Ham fans know full well what it means when Moyes watches a player himself in the flesh.
It tells you that he is serious about signing him.
Burnley defender Maxime Esteve and Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg.
Burnley defender Maxime Esteve and Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg. Credit: Getty Images/Athena Pictures/MI News/NurPhoto.
Nixon says Everton have told Moyes the money is there for the right players.
Esteve has been outstanding for Burnley and now looks ready for the Premier League.
The 6ft 4in tall Frenchman is aerially dominant and great with the ball at his feet too.
Potter has reportedly made Esteve a key target for the third centre-back spot at West Ham.
But this summer money is more of an issue for the Hammers than it is Everton – especially if the club can’t ship players out early in the window to raise funds.
The second player Moyes has in his sights for his Everton rebuild, is someone West Ham are reportedly just £10m away from striking a deal for.
While Moyes has been watching Esteve, Moyes has had Charlie Adam keeping a close eye on Sunderland star Chris Rigg.
Everton bump up prices of top West Ham targets Rigg and Esteve
West Ham want to make Rigg their first summer signing as a long-awaited replacement for all-action Declan Rice.
The midfielder’s family is even keen for him to go to West Ham above other interested Premier League clubs where they feel his development may be stunted by a lack of game time.
The problem is Moyes’ interest has now bumped Rigg’s price from £20m – which was do-able for the Hammers – to a ‘crazy £40m’ according to Nixon.
Nixon has reiterated that West Ham are very keen to sign Rigg.
But he says Moyes’ pursuit of Rigg may now have pushed him out of reach for both West Ham and Everton.
So it may be back to the drawing board for Potter and Macaulay.
It looks like West Ham can expect to be fending off Everton most of the summer, though, with the two clubs clearly shopping in the same market.