Moyes Blames Relegation Struggles for Everton’s Transfer Stalemate

Everton manager David Moyes says the club’s recent struggles near the bottom of the Premier League table may be playing a role in their difficulties completing transfer deals this summer.

The Toffees have narrowly avoided relegation in four of the last five seasons — finishing 16th, 17th, and 15th between 2021 and 2024 — and only pulled clear of the drop zone last term after Moyes returned midway through the campaign to steer the team to 13th.

Speaking to reporters in Chicago, where Everton are participating in the Premier League Summer Series, Moyes admitted frustration with the club’s lack of movement in the transfer market.

“The truth is we’re not getting them over the line at the moment — that’s a fact,” the 61-year-old said. “We’re not getting a lot of the deals done that we’re hoping to do, so we’re continually reassessing and moving on, while maybe things are not coming to fruition.”

“We keep trying to get the best players we can, but we’re finding it quite difficult at the moment.”

So far this summer, Everton have added four players to their squad, including highly-rated 18-year-old left-back Adam Aznou from Bayern Munich and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Mark Travers on a free transfer.

However, those arrivals have been overshadowed by the departure of several experienced first-team players, leaving key areas of the squad thin ahead of the new season.

Asked whether he was surprised by the club’s struggles in the market, Moyes offered a candid reflection.

“My first thought was yes, because Everton’s such a big club — great history, great traditions,” he said. “You look at what it’s stood for over the years, and now we’ve got the new stadium coming, which is an exciting step forward for us.”

“But then when you take a step back, you think about the fact that we’ve been hovering around the relegation places for the last five years. So maybe there are reasons why some players are hesitant.”

“The fact of the matter is we’ve got to rebuild trust — with fans, with players, and with the wider football world. We need to show people that Everton is heading in the right direction.”

Everton are set to move into their new waterfront stadium— Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock for the upcoming 2025/26 season — a significant milestone for the club off the pitch.

But on the pitch, Moyes and his staff face a race against time to strengthen the squad before the new Premier League season kicks off.