David Moyes has revealed that he was previously close to becoming Everton manager, only for the Toffees to swoop for a different boss after they suddenly became available.
The 61-year-old is back at Goodison Park after new owners The Friedkin Group decided to part ways with Sean Dyche.
His second stint with the club starts on Wednesday, when Everton welcome Aston Villa to their famous home.
Ahead of the game, Moyes revealed that he previously had the chance to re-join the club in 2019.
However, that all changed last minute as previous owner Farhad Moshiri decided to look in a different direction.
The Manager Who Everton Previously Chose Over David Moyes
David Moyes’ return to Goodison Park comes just over five years after Carlo Ancelotti beat him to the Goodison Park role.
The job was vacant after Everton parted ways with current Fulham manager Marco Silva in December 2019.
Moyes revealed that he was close to getting the job, only for Ancelotti to move ahead of him when the Italian got sacked by Napoli.
He said in his pre-match press conference: “I had agreed with Farhad Moshiri and (late chairman) Bill Kenwright that I was going to be the manager in 2019, then Carlo (Ancelotti) got sacked that night at Napoli. They changed their mind the next morning. I had a lot of close calls.
“I think if people looked at David Moyes’s career they would probably think ‘Everton’. It was a long time ago and it’s a different David Moyes who’s coming back to Everton. It’s also a completely different Everton that David Moyes is coming back to.
“I’ve had other opportunities to consider other jobs, quite a few since I’ve left West Ham. But I always felt that if this job came up – and I didn’t expect the job to come up, I really didn’t – it was just too big an opportunity to turn down.”
"The stadium looks elite, so we need to start getting some elite players" 👏
David Moyes says he wants Everton fans to have "something to shout about" 📢 pic.twitter.com/ZgwfxsSB7k
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 13, 2025
Everton’s Fight Against Relegation
David Moyes makes his return to Everton after a rotten run of one win in 11 Premier League games for the Toffees.
This has left the Toffees just one point clear of the relegation zone – albeit with a game in hand due to their postponed fixture with Liverpool.
Moyes said: “The club now needs steering in the right direction, putting in a place where you’re not fighting at the bottom all the time. I told the players, ‘I’m not coming here to manage a team at the bottom of the league. I’m going to manage a team that’s going to be fighting and challenging’.
“Part of it is, ‘You players had better turn up’. I’ve got no doubt the crowd, the people, Goodison, will all play a part. The players have to play their part now and they have to show they can handle it.”
Everton will hope a new manager bounce under Moyes will lift them away from the relegation zone. That starts with the tricky clash against Aston Villa on Wednesday night.
