David Moyes has thrown his support behind Everton supporters who voiced fury over a reported £40m bid from Nottingham Forest for teenage midfielder Harrison Armstrong, insisting fan opinion should not be dismissed.
The episode unfolded during Everton's 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Saturday, with news of Forest's interest in the 19-year-old breaking earlier in the day. Armstrong, an England Under-19 international widely regarded as one of the most talented academy products to emerge from Finch Farm in years, started the match at Vitality Stadium and played 87 minutes before being withdrawn for Charly Alcaraz as Everton salvaged a point late on.
Throughout the game, travelling Everton fans made their feelings known, repeatedly chanting warnings of unrest should the club sanction Armstrong's departure. Speaking afterwards, Moyes acknowledged the strength of feeling among supporters.
"I think you always have to consider supporters; supporters aren't always wrong," Moyes said. However, he also pointed to instances where difficult calls have had to be made regardless of public sentiment, citing historical examples from his career. "There are also times where I've had people at clubs who are really powerful and make difficult decisions. I'd bring into that Bryan Gray, who was at Preston North End, and Sir Philip Carter, who was at Everton when I first came in. Not all decisions are popular, and sometimes they have to do it for different reasons."
The Scottish manager stressed that any final call on Armstrong's future would not be his to make. "It's not really a question for just now. It will be a club decision," he said, while noting his own allegiance to the club. "If I'd say something to them (the fans), I'd say their manager's an Evertonian."
Armstrong has made 24 appearances for Everton to date and has been tipped as a key figure in the club's long-term plans. His potential sale would mark a significant moment for owners The Friedkin Group, who have faced growing scrutiny over the pace of their investment in the squad. Moyes has been openly frustrated by the lack of incoming transfers this summer, a point he reiterated following Everton's 4-0 Carabao Cup victory over Championship side Preston in midweek, when he called for further reinforcements. The club has also gone more than a year without adequately replacing long-serving right-back Seamus Coleman.
Adding to the uncertainty, playmaker Iliman Ndiaye has recently been strongly linked with a move to Manchester City, compounding concerns among fans that Everton's brightest talents could be sold off rather than built around.
Moyes also used the post-match interview to criticise the structure of the transfer window, arguing it should close before the season begins rather than running into it. "For all the years I've been in the Premier League this is probably the first time I've thought it was really a nonsense we're still playing games when the window is still open," he told Sky Sports. "It feels like we'd have been better off just getting it shut. Maybe it's just the way I am at the moment, I might feel better on Tuesday, but just at the moment it just leaves too much open, too much talk, mainly from the media."
Reflecting on past departures of prized Everton talents, including Wayne Rooney, Mikel Arteta and Joleon Lescott, as well as Declan Rice's exit from West Ham, Moyes suggested such moments are sometimes an unavoidable part of a club's evolution. "Sometimes it's part of the journey and you have to rebuild," he said.
With the Premier League and EFL transfer window set to close at 23:00 BST on Tuesday, 1 September, Everton's handling of Forest's interest in Armstrong could prove a defining test of The Friedkin Group's ambitions and Moyes' own position, with his contract at Goodison Park due to expire at the end of the season.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.