It’s important to examine the £12.5 million headline amount related to David Moyes’s return to Everton before drawing any conclusions. His two-and-a-half-year deal, which runs from January 2025 until the summer of 2027, is worth that figure. Divided across that period, his annual compensation works out to around £5 million, with bonuses related to performance benchmarks. It’s a meaningful amount, but it’s not what the first stories made it sound like.
In January 2025, Moyes rejoined Everton after Sean Dyche was fired by the club’s new owners, The Friedkin Group, while the team was one point above the relegation zone in 16th place in the Premier League. The appointment’s circumstances were urgent. Moyes was the club’s manager for eleven years, from 2002 to 2013.
During that time, he turned Everton into a regularly competitive team, which included a fourth-place finish in 2005 and a Champions League qualification run that no one had seen from Goodison Park in decades. The Friedkin Group chose him as the top target. He consented, but insisted on a long-term position as opposed to a temporary firefighting position. That negotiation is reflected in the final contract.
His compensation history at past clubs gives a clear tale about how his market value has shifted during a career with considerable highs and some well-documented lows. His salary at Manchester United starting in 2013 was far more than what Everton had offered; the contract was designed in part to entice him to take on the role as Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor. He was fired after ten months of that stint. According to reports, he was paid £5 million. At Real Sociedad and Sunderland, where outcomes were challenging and his reputation suffered significant harm, the numbers significantly decreased.
He made a comeback while playing for West Ham for two stints. His second term, which began in 2019, produced his finest sustained results outside of his Everton prime: two consecutive top-seven Premier League finishes and the 2022–2023 UEFA Europa Conference League trophy, which he won after defeating Fiorentina in the championship game. Under Moyes, West Ham achieved its first significant European honor. His stated yearly compensation during that time was approximately £6 million, which was a reflection of the club’s gratitude for the work he had done but did not nearly place him among the highest-paid managers in the game.
Moyes’ 2026 salary of £5 million at Everton places him in the center of Premier League managers. At the top, Pep Guardiola reportedly makes about £20 million a year. Arne Slot at Liverpool makes roughly £6.6 million. Newcastle’s Eddie Howe is almost there. Moyes’s figure is acceptable for Everton’s current situation – a club navigating financial restrictions, a new stadium project, and the pressure of Premier League survival, but not one contending in Europe or pursuing silverware in the short future.
