- David Moyes enjoyed a successful first stint at Everton, lasting 11 years
- Everton sit just three points off the final Champions League spot with seven games remaining
Everton look like a team transformed this season. David Moyes returned to Merseyside in January 2025 with the club one point above the relegation zone. Fast forward 15 months, and the Toffees are pushing for European football, sitting just three points behind fifth‑placed Liverpool with seven games remaining.
The first campaign at Hill Dickinson Stadium could yet deliver a continental qualification. This was something few would have predicted at the start of the season.
The Scot’s work has not gone unnoticed. Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender, has named Moyes in the running for the Premier League Manager of the Season award.
Carragher: ‘Moyes should be put in the mix’
Speaking to Manish Bhasin, Carragher acknowledged the scale of Everton’s improvement under Moyes.
“Listen, I think if Arsenal win the league, I would say Mikel Arteta, just because it’s been so long and they’ve been up against Man City and Liverpool and it’s not been easy for them,” Carragher said.
“I think Keith Andrews, as well, he has done well. I think David Moyes, as well. They’re the two that should be put in the mix.”
The endorsement from a former Liverpool captain carries weight. Since returning to Everton, only Arsenal have a better away record than David Moyes at Everton. The Toffees have won seven Premier League games on the road this season, a total only the league leaders can better.
A remarkable transformation under David Moyes
Everton’s league finishes in recent years tell the story of a club in struggle: 16th in 2021/22, 17th in 2022/23, 15th in 2023/24, and 13th last season.
This term, they are eighth, level on points with Brentford in seventh and within touching distance of the Champions League places.
David Moyes targeted a European finish all the way back in the summer. Few expected him to deliver it so quickly. But with three wins in their last four league games, the momentum is real.
James Garner has played the third‑most minutes of any outfield player in the Premier League and earned a first England call‑up. Jordan Pickford has kept 11 clean sheets and reached 100 for the club. The entire squad has bought into Moyes’ vision.
The 62‑year‑old, who previously steered Everton to nine top‑eight finishes in his first spell including a fourth‑place finish in 2004/05. He is now closing in on another remarkable achievement. A new contract is reportedly being prepared, with his current deal set to expire in just over a year.
Whether David Moyes wins the award or not, his place in this season’s conversation is fully deserved. He has taken a club that was fighting relegation and turned it into a side chasing Europe. That is the mark of a fantastic football manager.
