David Moyes has publicly criticised Everton’s owners, and it could have serious consequences for his old club West Ham in the race for Jack Grealish.
Graham Potter was reportedly the man Everton wanted to replace Sean Dyche back in January.
It was Everton’s interest in Potter – and the offer of a two-and-a-half-year deal – that forced West Ham to give in to the Englishman’s demands and hand him more than an initial six-month contract.
The day after Potter was appointed by the Hammers, the Toffees turned to their former manager David Moyes instead.
Moyes and Potter had contrasting fortunes in their first half-a-season in charge.
Everton overturned a nine-point deficit to finish above Potter’s West Ham, who won only five of his games at the helm.
West Ham and Everton struggling to make signings
Both managers have vowed to ring the changes this summer.
But the Hammers and Toffees have been restricted to two major signings each so far.
Potter has been trying to restore the team spirit and togetherness that made West Ham so good during Moyes’ second spell at the London Stadium.
However, with the Irons tipped to struggle in a fiercely competitive Premier League next season, that may not be enough.
West Ham have sorted their full-back situation with the additions of El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters.
But they are still woefully short up front, in midfield and at the back – including in goal.
There have been reports that David Sullivan and the Hammers board are trying to force cheaper deals on Potter.
Some West Ham fans are worried their mild-mannered manager is simply a ‘yes man’ for the board.
While it may be harsh, a section of supporters feel Potter may be too meek to really push the club’s hierarchy to invest in the team in the same way Moyes did.
Now brutal Moyes has gone public on his owners and it could give Everton the edge over West Ham for Jack Grealish.
Brutal Moyes goes public on owners over transfers
It has been reported that West Ham and Everton are leading the race to sign Grealish on loan from Man City this summer.
There is interest from Napoli in Grealish, who has been told he can leave Man City after being left out of Pep Guardiola’s Club World Cup squad.
But it is believed the playmaker wants to stay in the Premier League and is desperate to go where he will be a guaranteed starter in a bid to win back his England squad place ahead of the World Cup at the end of next season.
It was previously reported that Potter likes Grealish and the player is open to a move to the London Stadium.
West Ham’s owners have responded to claims they are telling Potter to lower his ambitions.
Now Moyes has shown what West Ham might be missing with Potter at the helm – someone to make demands of the owners.
And the former Hammers boss’s comments may hand Everton a key advantage in the race for Grealish, as the Friedkin Group have been called out by the Scot for all to hear.
Potter declared West Ham were in for an “exciting and interesting” summer window when last season ended with a 3-1 win at Ipswich.
He also stated he “ideally” wanted signings in early to work with them during pre-season.
West Ham fans have heard nothing from Potter since, despite the club’s worrying lack of new arrivals nearly two weeks out from the start of the new campaign.
Moyes on the other hand has called out Everton’s hierarchy, saying the club are being left behind and have not got signings in the door as he had hoped.
Moyes outburst could push Everton to beat West Ham to Grealish
The straight-talking Scot also stated he is not afraid to speak out and tell fans like it is.
“The truth is we’re not getting a lot of the deals over the line at the moment, that’s a fact,” Moyes told reporters ahead of his side’s Premier League Summer Series clash with West Ham, as reported by BBC Sport.
“We’re desperate to get things moving on because we know time’s running out.
“The one thing I’ll do is I’ll tell the fans straight, and I’m telling it straight at the moment, we’re having a bit of a struggle getting ones in quickly.
“My first thought is yes, I’m surprised, because I think Everton’s such a big club, with great traditions and the new stadium’s an exciting move for us.
“But when you think again about it, we’ve been in or around the relegation positions for the last five years, not far off the bottom, so maybe there’s been reasons for it.”
This could smoke Everton’s owners out in order to push the boat out to land Grealish.
And if Potter doesn’t do the same with Sullivan and co, it could cost the Hammers a seriously exciting signing.
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