Moyes in talks with Everton over return to club

Following the dismissal of manager Sean Dyche, David Moyes is in discussions with Everton about a potential return to Goodison Park. While no agreement has been reached and Moyes is not the only candidate, sources at BBC Sport suggest the Scot is currently the preferred choice.

Negotiations are reportedly underway, but Everton may not have enough time to reach an agreement and announce it before Friday evening. It is unclear what the length of Moyes' contract would be. Former Burnley manager Dyche was sacked on Thursday with the club 16th in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation zone. They have only won three of their 19 league games this season.

Moyes managed Everton from 2002 to 2013 before leaving for Manchester United, where he was sacked after 10 months. He has had two spells at West Ham United, leading them to the Europa Conference League title in 2023, but has been out of work since leaving last season. Moyes recently stated he is not ready to retire from football management but does not want a job that is a “fight for survival”.

After being appointed an OBE in the New Year Honours list for his services to football, he said: "Football is in my blood. It has been since I was a boy. I love watching football and I have enjoyed my career. If there is a next part then so be it. But I only want it to be a good part. I don't want to come in to do something that is really difficult."

BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty said that when David Moyes left Everton for Manchester United in 2013, he left behind a stable club. Moyes spent 11 years at Goodison Park, taking Everton from Premier League strugglers to European regulars, even reaching the Champions League qualifying stages in 2005. The Scot was virtually in complete control of football matters, with the full support of chairman Bill Kenwright, who was grateful for what Moyes achieved with limited funds.

To say that the Everton Moyes would be returning to, if he does indeed succeed the sacked Sean Dyche, is very different is an understatement. Everton have had eight permanent managers since Moyes left for Old Trafford, seven of whom have been sacked. The stability and continuity he was familiar with is a thing of the past and the football management landscape has changed in that time. Everton are still struggling at the bottom of the table, just as they were when he succeeded Walter Smith in 2002, but he would be working with new American owners, the Friedkin Group, who have shown their ruthlessness by sacking Dyche just three weeks after taking control of the club.

The patience that Kenwright showed during Moyes' first spell is unlikely to be repeated, while he would be working under a director of football, Kevin Thelwell, which was not the case when he was previously in charge at Everton when he decided himself who to buy and sell, and was the decision maker for all football strategy. Everton's league position may not have changed, but the Everton that Moyes previously knew has. How he adapts to these changed circumstances will dictate his and the club's immediate future.

Dyche's dismissal was announced on Thursday, just hours before Everton's FA Cup game against Peterborough. Everton went on to win the match 2-0, with defender Michael Keane saying: "We heard a few rumours but found out at the pre-match meal, so it was three hours before the game, quite late. But we are all professionals. We know how to prepare for games and even on a tough day you go out there and put the work in and know what you have to do."

Keane, who played under Dyche at both Everton and Burnley, said the players had to take some responsibility for his departure. "Any time you lose a manager it is very disappointing and sad," he added. "As players, we need to take responsibility for that. I don't think we as players have performed well enough as a group and shown the quality we have, so it is not a good day. He was brilliant for me. He has been a brilliant manager and still is a brilliant manager. It is just one of those things. It is football and it doesn't always work out."

Mike Richards from "The Unholy Trinity Everton Podcast" believes that a return for Moyes would provide stability for the club as they look to move away from the relegation battle. "Moyes has his detractors among the fans," said Richards. "The way he left the club, the secret bids for Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini and calling Everton fans a 'disgrace' still rankles with some. I've always believed time is a great healer. What is most important is the football club and its best interests. Moyes is a safe pair of hands, and he would certainly provide stability and start the major rebuild that we desperately need."

He added: "There will be a time when we appoint a young, up-and-coming manager who can re-shape the identity of the club. Now is not that time. A strong head, safe hands and that familiar face makes perfect sense. Maybe it is meant to be."