David Moyes has admitted his surprise at Everton being put up for sale by owners The Friedkin Group – even claiming he only found out on Friday morning when the statement was released to the supporters.

The Friedkin Group (TFG) announced they are open to new investment into the club – including the “potential sale of a controlling interest”.

The group, led by American billionaire Dan Friedkin, only completed their full takeover of Everton in December 2024 – ending Farhad Moshiri’s long spell at the helm.

“Yeah I was surprised, they’d only came in a year and a half ago,” Moyes said in a press conference – before claiming he first felt signs of the owners not being committed during the most recent transfer window.

“Most owners come in for a lot longer than that. We were all expecting them to be here for 20 to 30 years, however long it may be.

“But maybe the way things worked out over the transfer window, I probably had seen through it a little bit before that. It’s probably all there for Evertonians to see now.

“I truly believed that with new ownership who were in for it completely with us all, my ambition coming back was to get Everton back to the levels they’d been at in the past – challenging for Europe more often, being around it.

“And probably you could tell with how I’ve been a lot over the summer that that’s the way it’s been. It’s been a difficult summer for us.

“I only found out this morning myself along with everybody else. I’m a little bit surprised, but maybe not really that surprised.”

Moyes also admitted he feels sympathy for the Everton fans who have to go through another period of uncertainty.

The last three years alone have seen Moshiri try to sell the club to 777 Partners and John Textor, only for both of their takeover bids to fall through. TFG also saw talks collapse before finally breaking through in late 2024.

Everton also had two rounds of points deductions for breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), which came in a period that nearly saw the club relegated from the Premier League for the first time.

Moyes, who returned to the club in early 2025, admitted the last year was one of stability for the club. But that has now changed.

Asked if he feels let down for being mis-sold a dream, Moyes said: “No. Because I love this club so much and they could have sold me anything and I’d have still taken it.

“But it’s for Evertonians I feel sorry for the most. They’ve been through so many difficult periods, they really have. The last thing they wanted to hear was this.

“Last year we went through a season where there wasn’t much drama. There wasn’t any relegation problems, we had a bit of drama of money that we had to pay to Burnley.

“Apart from that, in the main we’ve done pretty well over the year and were just starting to get back at the right footing – and challenging at the right end of the table rather than the wrong end.

“I’m more disappointed for Evertonians who have to go through another period of: ‘who’s going to be the new owner?'”

Asked if he’s concerned about his own future, with potential new owners set to arrive at the club, Moyes said: “I’ve not really thought about it yet from that point of view. The players have been great so far and we’ll keep them focused on what we can do which is win the games.

“I always think that Evertonians galvanise even more so when it comes to a situation where the team needs help, the manager needs help – we’ll stick together. We’ll certainly be in that camp.

“I’m just reading the things that I’ve seen this morning. They’re looking forward to getting the right people in to bring the club further forward.

“It’s a great club if anybody is out there who wants to buy it. If they want to speak to me, I’ll be the first person to tell them that it’s certainly worth buying.”

Everton owners’ statement in full

An Everton statement on Friday morning said: “When TFG became custodians of Everton, the club faced significant financial uncertainty and challenges both on and off the pitch.

“The immediate priority was to provide the stability, investment and support needed to secure the club’s future, including helping to bring the long-promised stadium to completion for its deserving supporters.

“With that foundation now safely in place, the time is right to consider the next chapter for Everton. We will only entertain interest from parties who we strongly believe will be the right stewards to take the club forward and build on the momentum that has been established.

“Throughout this process, TFG’s focus will remain unchanged. We will support the club in all ways necessary to achieve success on the pitch and will continue efforts to make a positive difference in the communities the club serves.

“TFG and the club will not be commenting further while this work is under way.”

Why is club up for sale so quickly?

Alan Myers on Sky Sports News:

“It’s not come as a big surprise to hear this news. When The Friedkin Group said a few months ago that they were looking for investors, the feeling and talk around Everton and the financial side of things that the club was actually up for sale. It was a sale they were looking for, rather than investors.

“One of the real reasons for this is TFG have probably come to a point where they have seen what it’s going to cost to put Everton back at the top table of English football, which is where the club want to be and where they were a long number of years ago.

“That figure and cost implication is probably too much for them and they don’t want to do that.

“From day one, there were rumours and mumblings that TFG weren’t going to be at Everton for long. What they’ve been trying to do recently is put the club into a good financial situation, with a sale in mind.

“A lot of this also comes from the situation with Roma. They own Roma as well, they are building a new stadium there which will cost £1bn. In the end, it’s all too much for them.

“I believe The Friedkin Group are looking for between £800m and £1bn to sell the club which will give them a tidy little profit, as they bought the club for cheaper than they should have done.

“It was interesting when you read the statement from The Friedkin Group saying: ‘We will be fully committed to supporting the team on the pitch’. Well it didn’t look that way in the summer transfer window, that’s for sure. It was a bit of a disaster in the end.

“Although you have to remember the squad they had is a good squad, but a weak squad. If David Moyes was to get injuries with his players, then that squad would be tested. There’s no two ways about that.

“The first squad he has at the moment is a very good, strong squad. But you could see that they were willing to sell Harrison Armstrong to Nottingham Forest. That said a lot about the investment and what they were doing.

“The only reason he didn’t go was because the crowd made their feelings known. That pressure forced The Friedkin Group to reconsider selling him as he’s one of the young bright talents of Everton.”