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Moyes: no contact
David Moyes said he has never met or spoken to Everton owner Dan Friedkin since returning as manager in January 2025, and he told reporters before Everton's match against Manchester United on Sunday that "My real contact is Angus".
“My real contact is Angus”
Moyes said Friedkin leaves the day-to-day running of the club to his son-in-law Rishi Majithia and chief executive Angus Kinnear, and he described his own communication as going "through Rishi".
Everton’s summer transfer window ended with a collapsed £40m move for Monaco striker Folarin Balogun, after the club failed to sign a striker on transfer deadline day and left Moyes with Thierno Barry as Everton's only senior striker.
The Mirror said Everton endured a "miserable summer transfer window" and highlighted the sale of Beto to Fiorentina and the rejection of Balogun’s move, while also noting that the sale of Iliman Ndiaye to City for £65million further weakened their squad.
After the window, Moyes told reporters it "wasn't anyone's fault" that the £40m deal for Balogun collapsed, and he said the last couple of days were difficult because Everton were pushing hard and had made bids on bank holiday Monday.
Defiant response
Moyes issued a defiant response after Everton’s calamitous end to the transfer window, telling the Guardian that "We’re going to need extra from them because we’re short. So we need them."
In the same Guardian account, Moyes said he has had no contact with Friedkin since replacing Sean Dyche as manager in January 2025, and he added that "Er, no" when asked whether he had ever had a conversation with Dan Friedkin.
The Telegraph reported that Moyes made it clear he will never leave Everton in the lurch by walking out, even though he revealed he has never spoken to Dan Friedkin, and it quoted him saying: "I wouldn’t have come back for anybody but Everton."
The Liverpool Echo framed the revelation as raising questions about TFG’s future plans, noting Moyes said he had not had direct contact with Friedkin since he was appointed in January 2025, just one month after TFG acquired the club.
The BBC also tied the ownership scrutiny to the transfer window, saying fans reacted angrily during last Saturday's match at Bournemouth after Everton accepted a £40m bid from Nottingham Forest for Harrison Armstrong, before Everton pulled out of the deal.
What’s at stake
The BBC said Everton finished the transfer window with a squad of just 18 senior players, including only one striker, one right-back and one left-back, and it reported that Moyes reiterated his commitment despite the chaotic end.
“Everton finished the transfer window with a squad of just 18 senior players”
The Mirror said Everton were left with a threadbare squad after failing to sign a striker on transfer deadline day, and it added that late bids for Manchester United's Joshua Zirkzee and Aston Villa's Tammy Abraham also failed.
The Guardian reported that TFG’s decision to sell Harrison Armstrong to Nottingham Forest last weekend started Everton’s dreadful end to the transfer window, and it said Everton were left with a weaker squad after the sales of Iliman Ndiaye, Beto, Tim Iroegbunam and Nathan Patterson.
Moyes told reporters he believed the club’s top-level alignment could improve, saying "We’ve got new owners in who are still feeling their way in the club," and he added that "I think if we get to know each other more it will get better."
With Everton’s squad reduced and the ownership relationship under scrutiny, the BBC said Moyes aligned himself with Everton fans last weekend when asked about plans to sell Armstrong, saying the club was "managed by an Evertonian" and "supporters aren't always wrong."