Ancelotti played major factor in Moyes' second spell at West Ham

There was speculation that David Moyes may have returned to Everton as manager in late 2019. In the end, Carlo Ancelotti, not him, was chosen.

After ten years as Everton’s coach, Moyes left the club after being hired to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

Then, soon after Marco Silva’s dismissal at Goodison Park, he seemed to have been on the cusp of a dramatic return.

Almost four years later, the English coach has described the events leading up to his almost-return to the Blues. The 60-year-old has also gone over his discussions with the club’s soon-to-be-former owner, Farhad Moshiri.

Everton snubbed Moyes for Ancelotti

According to an interview with beIN Sports, after meeting with Farhad Moshiri, Moyes was about to complete the paperwork to return officially.

Then, out of nowhere, the Toffees had a change of heart when Napoli suddenly released Carlo Ancelotti and made him available.

“When I was getting offered the West Ham job, I had actually been in Germany with Moshiri to take the Everton job. It was absolutely done, until in the meeting my telephone had run out of battery and I had asked for it to be charged.

“In the meeting, the phone rang and it was David Sullivan, in the middle of the meeting with Everton. I had to say ‘I can’t speak right now’. I was in a meeting to go back to Everton. Carlo Ancelotti got sacked that night and they changed track and took Carlo Ancelotti. Overnight.

“That night I was in Germany and Carlo lost his job. I was due to sign the papers the day before and because of that they took Carlo, and David Sullivan had phoned me to take the West Ham job and I thought, ‘definitely’.”

Coach recently won first trophy in managerial career

Moyes has subsequently returned to West Ham for a second stint as manager and has been very successful. Last season, under his direction, they won the Europa Conference League.

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