The Blues boss wants to take Everton into Europe and believes doing so would transform its ability to attract players in the summer
David Moyes arrives at Craven Cottage for the Premier League match between Fulham and Everton. Photo by Tiego Grenho/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
David Moyes arrives at Craven Cottage for the Premier League match between Fulham and Everton. Photo by Tiego Grenho/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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David Moyes believes qualification for Europe could turbocharge Everton’s transfer business and help the club become stronger, quicker.
The Blues boss acknowledged achieving that aim would be difficult and that a few bad results could allow rivals to gain an upper hand. Yet he believes Everton are in that battle - and he wants his players to think they can win it.
Doing so would allow the club to continue the progress made since it was taken over by the Friedkin Group in December 2024, with Moyes arriving the following month.
Moyes has transformed Everton from perennial relegation strugglers to a team on the cusp of the top seven in that time.
While he is aware a few poor results could quickly change that, he is determined to push for Europe. He said: “I think at the moment, the position we are in, we have to keep thinking we can challenge the top. I am trying to drive that through and want the players to hear it.”
Speaking ahead of Everton’s home game with Bournemouth, he reflected on the three years he took former club West Ham United into Europe and said those seasons had an extraordinary impact on the Hammers and how the club was perceived.
On whether a return with Everton was his ambition, he said: “I am too old to sit here and say I’m just going to try and keep us away from the bottom of the league.”
Moyes was backed in the summer transfer market as he started a much-needed squad rebuild but had his plans undermined by targets rejecting a move to Merseyside because Everton, unlike nine Premier League rivals, could not offer European football.
Moyes, therefore, is adamant qualification this season would allow the club to attract a higher calibre of player in the summer.
He said: “I think if we can become a team in Europe it will help because a lot of the better players are looking for Europe. Even the clubs with squads of 21-24 players, you find that you get more game time.
“We would have to leave two or three players out of the squad when everyone is fit because there is no room for them on the bench. What builds your spirit in the squad is having more games because they are getting more minutes then and they have to play a part.”
Everton sit firmly in the top half of the table largely because of the club’s stunning away form.
After the 2-1 win at Fulham on Saturday, the sixth win on the road of this campaign, the players were serenaded by supporters who shared their train journey back from London Euston to Liverpool.
Moyes said: “It was brilliant on the train going back because we knew what it [the win] meant. I think if you're an away supporter and you put your money and your effort into getting to all the games, it's a thrill when your team gets results.
“And we did, we got it pretty late again. I think part of the job here is to actually give the Evertonians something to shout about.”