I've never spoken to Everton owner Friedkin - Moyes
September 5, 2026 08:40
David Moyes said he has neither met nor spoken directly with Everton owner Dan Friedkin since returning as manager in January 2025. Moyes made the comment ahead of Everton’s match with Manchester United and described his primary contacts at the club as chief executive Angus Kinnear and Friedkin’s son-in-law, Rishi Majithia.
Tensions around how the club is run intensified during the recent transfer window after supporters reacted angrily to reports that Everton had agreed a bid for England Under-19 midfielder Harrison Armstrong. The proposed Armstrong sale was later withdrawn, but deadline-day departures and failed arrivals left Everton with a very small senior squad.
KEY CONTEXT
- Dan Friedkin is head of The Friedkin Group, which completed a takeover of Everton in December 2024 and also owns Serie A club AS Roma (as noted in the source image caption). The owner has not attended a home game since the takeover.
- Friedkin delegates day-to-day running of Everton to Rishi Majithia, who works alongside chief executive Angus Kinnear. Moyes says he communicates through that structure rather than directly with Friedkin.
- The summer transfer window saw Beto sold to Fiorentina on deadline day before a replacement had been secured, and a proposed signing of Folarin Balogun from Monaco collapsed at the last moment. Everton ended the window with 18 senior players, including just one senior striker, one right-back and one left-back.
WHY IT MATTERS
Moyes’ lack of direct contact with the owner highlights the distance between Everton’s on-field leadership and the ownership level, a point that fuelled supporter concern during a chaotic transfer window. The departures and aborted arrivals left the squad thin in key positions, increasing short-term competitive risk and putting pressure on Moyes and the existing playing group. Fan unrest, visible at the Bournemouth match, adds a further off-field challenge for a manager who has said he wants to unite the club.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
- Whether the club’s executive structure — principally Kinnear and Majithia as Moyes’ primary contacts — changes as the new ownership settles in, and whether that alters communication between manager and owner.
- Any moves by the board to address the depleted squad during the next opportunity to sign players.
- How matchday support develops now that Moyes has publicly aligned himself with fans’ frustrations and appealed for their backing of the team.
KEY FACTS
- Moyes says he has not met or spoken directly with owner Dan Friedkin since January 2025.
- Friedkin completed his takeover of Everton in December 2024 and has not attended a home game since.
- Day-to-day running is handled by Rishi Majithia, who works with CEO Angus Kinnear; Moyes identifies Kinnear as his main contact.
- Everton reportedly accepted a £40m bid for Harrison Armstrong but later withdrew from the deal; fans reacted angrily at the Bournemouth game.
- The club sold Beto to Fiorentina on deadline day; a separate move for Folarin Balogun from Monaco collapsed late. Everton finished the window with 18 senior players, including only one senior striker, one right-back and one left-back.