After returning to Everton for a second spell as their manager, David Moyes is aiming to guide the club back to the heights he reached during his original spell in charge.
The 61-year-old, who replaces Sean Dyche, first managed Everton from 2002 to 2013 and during those 11 years took them to a fourth-place finish in 2004/05, securing UEFA Champions League qualification, while they were runners-up in the 2009 FA Cup final.
The Toffees also played in the UEFA Cup or UEFA Europa League for three successive years under Moyes from 2007/08 to 2009/10. But he takes over a team who last finished in the top half of the table in 2020/21 and who currently lie 16th.
"It’s absolutely brilliant to be back," Moyes told the club's official website. "I always thought that maybe I’d be lucky enough to get the opportunity to come back. I had an unbelievable time here before, 11 years, which was exceptional.
"I’m probably coming back to a completely different Everton from the one I left a long time ago. It would be great if we could get it back in the same condition.
“I hope I can get that back but the one thing I do know is that I’m back at a club which I’m really fond of and want to be successful."
Moyes has confirmed his coaching staff will consist of his former player Leighton Baines, plus Billy McKinlay and Alan Irvine, while he remains on the look out for a set-piece coach.
Having signed Baines from Wigan Athletic as a player in 2007, Moyes said: “Leighton will be [a part of the backroom staff]. I’ll bring Leighton up. I’m going to try to work quickly with people I know and trust because of the situation.”
Everton are just one point above the relegation zone, after a run of five winless league matches, and Moyes's first priority is to retain their top-flight status as the club prepare to move into their new stadium this summer.
“We can have all the fancy plans we want but, let’s be fair, we’re probably not quite in the position to do that yet. But we do have to look to see what’s going to go on in the future," said Moyes.
"I’m here and I’m going to try to put as many things right as I possibly can. The first thing I have got to try to put right is that we get results to make sure we’re going into our new stadium as a Premier League team.
"I see it as a huge pressure. I think when you care so much about the club and you’ve had such a long period here – even today, there are a lot of people here who were here 11 years ago – it makes me realise it’s a really popular football club, one that needs to be in the top flight.
“It’d be a great feeling for us all to go into the new stadium, but it’ll be mainly great if we’re a Premier League club and we can give everybody something to shout about.
“The stadium looks the business, looks elite. So, we need to start getting some elite players. We need to start looking at the level of the players that can give everybody something to shout about when we move to the new stadium.
“The new players who are going to come here, we want them to be excited at the thought of going to the new stadium.”
Moyes' first match of his second spell will be at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Wednesday.
