David Moyes has never been one to hide from the truth. When he sat down for his pre-Arsenal press conference on Friday, the Everton manager was asked about the club’s transformation this season and whether it would help in the summer transfer window. His answer was revealing, uncomfortable, and essential for every supporter to hear.
David Moyes has spent 18 months reshaping a squad and a culture. But the damage from years of turmoil runs deeper than many realised. And the path back to relevance, it turns out, requires more than just a few good results.
‘An unbelievable amount of players said No.’
Moyes was asked directly whether Everton’s improved standing this season and having previously been viewed as a “problematic club”, would aid summer recruitment. His response was evidence of the rebuild required.
“I was probably more surprised the amount of players who didn’t want to come to Everton as the ones who we did get,” Moyes admitted. “Unbelievable amount of players who I spoke to and tried to get here [in the summer] and I couldn’t get them to come. But that’s because of the things you talked about, because of the problematic situation that had been around.”
Let that sink in. An “unbelievable amount” of targets said no. Not because of money. Not because of location. Because of the club’s reputation. Because of the chaos that preceded Moyes’ arrival. Because Everton had become a place players actively wanted to avoid.
The manager managed to bring in Jack Grealish, Iliman Ndiaye, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and others despite this. But the admission confirms what many suspected that the club was working with one hand tied behind its back.
Why European football changes everything
Moyes’ solution to this recruitment headache is simple and obvious, but no less significant for it. When asked about the summer ahead, he made the connection crystal clear.
“I think if we want to try and get the level of players that we’d like to get in the next window, in the windows coming up, I think Europe is really important.”
European football changes the conversation. It brings stability and offers players something beyond a wage packet. It tells agents and targets that Everton are no longer the “problematic club” of recent memory.
Qualifying for Europe would mean Thursday nights and Sunday afternoons, additional fixtures and squad depth requirements. But more than that, it would mean credibility restored. It would mean the phone calls Moyes makes this summer start with a different tone. The manager has already worked wonders with the squad he assembled despite the rejections. Just five points off the top six with nine games remaining, an unbeaten away run stretching back to December, and genuine belief that something is building.
But this summer represents the next step. And as Moyes made clear, the ability to take that step depends on what happens between now and May. Europe is the prize. But it’s also the key that unlocks everything else.
- Difficult to recruit for ‘problematic club’, David Moyes gives Everton recruitment problems
- Jarrad Branthwaite update: David Moyes says ‘Jarrad will be fine’ ahead of Arsenal clash
- Arsenal vs Everton: Team news, predictions, where to watch
- Arsenal vs Everton: Can David Moyes mastermind another upset
- Everton interested in Watford wonderkid Othmane Maamma after rapid rise
