David Moyes has revealed that he has had no direct contact whatsoever with Everton owner Dan Friedkin since returning to Goodison Park as manager back in January 2025, a striking admission that underlines the unusual ownership structure at the club.
Friedkin, who leads The Friedkin Group and oversees the club's operations from Houston, completed his takeover of Everton in December 2024 but has yet to attend a single home fixture since assuming control. The way the club has been run since then, and specifically who holds responsibility for major decisions, became a major talking point during a turbulent summer transfer window.
Speaking to the media ahead of Everton's Premier League clash with Manchester United, Moyes was asked directly whether he had ever met or spoken with Friedkin during his 20 months back in charge. His response left little room for interpretation: "No."
Instead, Moyes explained that his primary point of contact within the ownership structure is chief executive Angus Kinnear, alongside Rishi Majithia, who is Friedkin's son-in-law and manages the club's day-to-day affairs on his behalf. "My real contact is Angus," Moyes said. "Angus is the one who I would go to see. Rishi is the next one and then the head of the Friedkin family in America. I don't really get any direct conversations with them, but I do through Rishi, he is the one I would speak to."
The transfer window proved a source of significant frustration for supporters. Anger boiled over during Everton's away trip to Bournemouth last Saturday after it emerged the club had agreed to accept a £40 million offer from Nottingham Forest for highly-rated England Under-19s midfielder Harrison Armstrong. Everton later withdrew from the proposed sale, but the episode did little to ease fan discontent over how the summer business was being handled.
Further complications arose on deadline day when striker Beto was sold to Fiorentina before a replacement had been lined up. Hopes of bringing in USA international forward Folarin Balogun from Monaco also collapsed at the last minute when the player pulled out of the move. As a result, Everton entered the new season with a threadbare squad of just 18 senior players, possessing only one recognized striker, one right-back and one left-back.
Moyes had earlier sided publicly with frustrated supporters over the potential Armstrong sale, stating the club was "managed by an Evertonian" and noting that "supporters aren't always wrong." On Friday, he acknowledged there remains work to be done in terms of how the club's internal structure operates, saying: "We've got new owners in who are still feeling their way in the club. I think if we get to know each other more it will get better."
Despite the upheaval, the former Manchester United and West Ham manager made clear he has no intention of walking away from the job. Moyes, who previously guided Everton to a string of top-five Premier League finishes between 2002 and 2013 during his first spell in charge, was asked if he had contemplated resigning. "Everton's different," he responded. "I wouldn't have come back for anybody but Everton. I think the club here has had enough days where the people find a way of recovering. People saw the face of Evertonians last week and it can be really powerful. I would expect them to be really powerful now."
He added that with a squad stretched thin, the backing of supporters will be crucial going forward. "But powerful for the team, powerful for the players. What we're going to need from them is extra because we're short, so we need them. If they're not with us, then it's terrible. And they are with us, I believe they are with us."
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.