David Moyes reveals conversation with Prince William during investiture ceremony
Everton Manager David Moyes was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire by avid football fan the Prince of Wales during a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.
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New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Why did Liverpool's development teams struggle last season – and does it matter?
Liverpool's first-team took the Premier League by storm under Arne Slot last season, but for the club's development sides it was a different story. The under-21s finished 16th out of 26 in Premier League 2 and lost to Manchester City in the first knock-out round of the play-offs. The under-18s, meanwhile, endured a torrid campaign, finishing 11th out of 13 with just five wins all season and looked like a team drained of confidence since the turn of the year. Both will have new head coaches next season after internal changes. Advertisement By common consent, the current crop of under-18s are not as strong as in previous years and players such as Rio Ngumoha, who started with the group having joined from Chelsea last summer, have been pushed up to the higher age bracket for most of the campaign. Even his return on the final game of the season couldn't spark an uplift, though, as the team lost 3-0 to local rivals Everton in a game that summed up the miserable campaign. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, the under-18s coach, has left after 10 years at the club and five years in the role, with Liverpool expected to make an external appointment for his replacement. Bridge-Wilkinson returned to his previous club, Huddersfield, this week as an assistant first team coach. It was a disappointing end to his tenure. Asked by The Athletic last month whether the league table was an accurate reflection of the season, he said: 'It probably is because we haven't won enough games. We know improvements have been made and a lot of hard work is going into it but we don't always get to see that on a Saturday. 'There's been improvement within the individuals but we haven't been able to get that into the team setting enough on a matchday. It's been tough, although we've shown as a club and an academy what we can do with players to get them close to their potential.' Under-21 head coach Barry Lewtas is also leaving after 12 years at the club and five in his current role. 'Sometimes you just know the time is right for a new adventure and I really feel the perfect time for me is now,' he told Lewtas hopes to become a head coach at senior level. For Liverpool it is a time to reflect on years of good work and refresh the setup for the future. Results and league positions are not the most important factor to consider when analysing youth football, especially as this was still another season of relative success for the academy with 14 graduates used in first-team games across all competitions and many more sent on loan to gain valuable experience. Advertisement The main objective for staff working at the club's Kirkby base is to prepare players for either a crack at representing the club at senior level in the future, or to succeed elsewhere. If those who do not make it are moved on for sizeable transfer fees, that also represents good business, and with Liverpool's list of talent they are well-positioned to achieve both. Take Trey Nyoni, for example. The 17-year-old is eligible to feature for both the under-21s and under-18s but is recognised as a first-team player as he trains with the seniors and has made five appearances for Slot's team this season across the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. He has only played in development games when the schedule allows. Although Tyler Morton, 22, (six appearances) and James McConnell, 20, (four appearances) have not featured as often as either would have hoped, both are set up nicely for the future whether that be at Anfield or beyond. Jarell Quansah's rise is another success story for the academy and helps provide evidence that a pathway is there for the most talented players. Yet there is still a degree of expectation for the club that has just won its 20th English league title to flex their muscles in the older age groups through results on the pitch. Manchester City's under-18s earned 46 more points than Liverpool to finish top of the league with Manchester United and Everton below in second and third. City's under-21s, who also finished top of the pile, recorded 20 points more than Liverpool to further underline their dominance. Aston Villa won the FA Youth Cup, beating City in the final. Liverpool were beaten 4-1 by Preston North End in the third round. City remain strong recruiters at academy level and are often the first choice for players and families who have multiple options to consider, so their success is no surprise. Like Liverpool, City also allowed a number of their most progressive young players to depart on loan while keeping a select group around to use across first-team games and training. Advertisement The difference, however, was in the sheer volume of players who left on a temporary basis. Liverpool sanctioned deals for 13 players to move on loan and that affected the way the under-21 team operated thereafter. In many of the games the team needed a ruthless finisher up front to put away chances. Jayden Danns, 19, who agreed on a loan move to Sunderland but wasn't able to feature due to injury, would have made a huge difference if he had been available, as would Lewis Koumas, 19, who spent the season on loan at Stoke City. Yet both players were at an advanced stage and had outgrown development football. Liverpool place a priority on sending players out to play men's football when the right opportunities arrive and have plans to bulk up the staffing levels around that department following Matt Newberry's promotion from director or loans and pathways to director of global talent. Newberry still oversees the progression of players on loan but will be assisted with more support moving forward. Like the previously successful loan spells of Harvey Elliott (Blackburn Rovers), Conor Bradley (Bolton Wanderers) and Quansah (Bristol Rovers), a number of players have succeeded away from the club this season. Ben Doak was performing well at Middlesbrough before his injury, as was Owen Beck at Blackburn. Calum Scanlon showed signs of promise at Millwall, Stefan Bajcetic built up his durability at Las Palmas and Luca Stephenson featured heavily for Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership. Other players who have spent periods on loan this season include Fabian Mrozek, Luke Chambers, Kaide Gordon and Calvin Ramsay. For most of those players, the experience will benefit the club in the future. Had Liverpool kept some of them around, the development league tables might have looked rather different. But while results need to improve next campaign, nobody at the club is losing sight of the bigger picture.
New York Times
15 hours ago
- New York Times
Manchester City director James Smith to return to Everton in recruitment role
Manchester City's director of scouting and recruitment James Smith is leaving the club and is expected to re-join Everton. Smith's anticipated return to Goodison Park – where he was head of technical scouting from 2003 during David Moyes' first spell in charge, before following the Scot to Manchester United in 2013 – would continue a behind-the-scenes revamp under new chief executive Angus Kinnear. Advertisement There is a healthy relationship between the Premier League sides and talks over Smith's return to Merseyside have been amicable. Smith has been placed on gardening leave by City, who are also restructuring their set-up under new director of football Hugo Viana. Viana is picking up where his predecessor, Txiki Begiristain, left off in aiming to strengthen the link between senior and youth levels at the Etihad Stadium. A reunion of Moyes and Smith will be seen by many as a coup for Everton, with the former highly-regarded in the game after his work at the two Manchester clubs. Smith would effectively replace Dan Purdy, Everton's former head of recruitment who The Athletic revealed in April had decided to leave. Purdy has since joined former Everton director of football Kevin Thelwell at Rangers. Everton's new set-up also includes Nick Hammond as head of trading/negotiating, having joined from Leeds United, and Chris Howarth, the head of strategy. They are also hoping to install a new head of football operations following a process being handled by executive search firm Nolan Partners. Former Leeds director Kinnear, to whom Smith will report, started his role last month following the decision by new owners, The Friedkin Group (TFG), not to renew Thelwell's contract in a major executive overhaul. It promises to be a pivotal summer transfer window for the Merseyside club before they head into their new stadium with 15 players, at one stage, set to see their deals expire at the end of June. It has already been announced that three of that group, Ashley Young and backup goalkeepers Joao Virginia and Asmir Begovic, are to leave the club. Midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure will also depart after turning down a new deal, but Everton have exercised the €15million purchase option to make Carlos Alcaraz's loan from Flamengo permanent. Everton remain in talks over a new deal for veteran midfielder Idrissa Gueye. (Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)
New York Times
a day ago
- New York Times
Asmir Begovic interview: Everton optimism, Moyes' influence and ‘icon' Coleman
Asmir Begovic is philosophical about what is to come. The veteran goalkeeper is soon to be a free agent, his contract with Everton expiring at the end of the month. It has been confirmed that he will not be getting a new deal with them. Begovic, who turns 38 next week, describes the decision-making process around his Everton exit as 'simple'. Talks were short and succinct. Advertisement 'They wanted to change direction a bit and bring in new blood,' he tells The Athletic. 'For me, it was easy. No hard feelings. You respect the decision. We gave it everything and shook hands, having done our job. That's what makes it something you look back on with some fondness.' Begovic's time at Everton was largely challenging, for reasons beyond his control. His first spell, between 2021 and 2023, saw two relegation battles. Then, after a year with west London-based Queens Park Rangers in the second-tier Championship, he returned to Goodison Park last summer, with Everton still financially stricken and in the midst of a lengthy takeover process. His role changed slightly last season compared to that first stint. He went from being No 2 'keeper to third-choice, providing able cover for England international Jordan Pickford and backup Joao Virginia — who is leaving too this summer with the expiry of his contract — yet still saw rejoining Everton as a 'no-brainer'. A call from the Merseyside club's then director of football Kevin Thelwell last summer emphasised that Begovic would play a valuable leadership role with the place still engulfed in uncertainty. Everton wanted to lean on the experience he gained during that tumultuous first spell. 'I don't think anyone would have known what was to happen in those first two years,' Begovic says. 'So it was absolutely nothing new (to me). 'Being able to deal with it in a really calm way was obviously part of the appeal in bringing me back. I knew exactly what to expect, and it was easy to cope with everything.' Begovic describes his first spell with Everton as more challenging than the second — 'there was a lot of turmoil, probably unexpectedly'. But there is now a sense the club are stronger having come through such adversity, which included two separate points deductions for financial breaches in the 2023-24 season, after the takeover by The Friedkin Group and the move to their new stadium for next season. 'Because of that period, everyone knew what it could be like,' says Begovic, who did not make an appearance last season as Pickford excelled and Virginia played once each in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. 'Those past experiences have really helped the team to be calm and deal with certain situations.' Advertisement Present during two turbulent chapters in the club's recent history, Begovic ended up playing an admittedly unheralded part in seeing them through unscathed. He was part of a senior leadership group that also included captain Seamus Coleman, defenders James Tarkowski and Ashley Young and Pickford. Coleman's presence helped ensure all 'egos were left at the door'. 'Seamus is the ultimate leader, the icon of the club,' says the Canada-raised Bosnia-Herzegovina international. 'He sets the tone. He's somebody that you just want to play with and play for. What he represents and what he stands for really epitomise Everton and everything the club can be. 'We had a really good group behind that, trying to set certain standards and keep everyone together. There was some good quality in the squad and we had fantastic support staff, so I felt like it was a really good mix this year. That sort of made us achieve the maximum we could. 'No matter the circumstances, we always stuck together and kept pushing. The fruits of the labour really came through in the second half of the season.' Everton ended the campaign in fine form under David Moyes, back for a second stint as manager over a decade after leaving for Manchester United, finishing in a comfortable mid-table position. The woes in the first half of the season under the Scot's predecessor Sean Dyche are now a distant memory, but there was always a sense the squad could do better. 'That (early period) probably wasn't a true reflection of us and the quality we had,' Begovic says. 'But even when results weren't where we wanted them to be, I don't think we were a million miles away,' he adds, pointing to games against Bournemouth and Aston Villa where Everton lost after surrendering 2-0 leads. 'After that, we really showed the team we could be with the new manager coming in. We were able to turn it around and made it a lot easier for ourselves.' Advertisement So what changed when Moyes arrived in January? 'The funny thing is, when he came in, he said there's not much that needs to change, especially defensively,' he says. 'In possession, he put his touch on certain things and added different details, and that mix worked.' Another key difference was the shift in atmosphere, with Moyes' return to the club he led for over a decade between 2002 and 2013 providing something of a comfort blanket. 'I don't think you can underestimate the impact that he had,' Begovic says. 'The atmosphere, as soon as he walked in — his legendary status — made a really big difference. 'He's a really experienced, calm manager. He never gets too high or too low, just really believes in what he does. He's got a really good staff and surrounds himself with really good people. He tries to create camaraderie. But at the same time, he'll tell you how it is if he wants certain things done in a better way. He just has a really good mix.' We talk about Pickford, the team's talisman during those relegation battles and Begovic's long-time training partner. Despite being the Everton and England No 1, there is still a sense he does not receive the plaudits from some quarters that he deserves. 'He's playing at an incredibly high level,' Begovic says. 'Obviously, he loves being at Everton, and Everton love him. He's doing the business for England, going from strength to strength, and it's great to see. 'We've developed a really big respect and friendship, pushed each other in training and made each other better. You do get better with experience. I've seen a change (in) his maturity, the way he plays the game. 'He's been the best goalkeeper in the Premier League for the last five years.' Mentorship seems to come naturally to Begovic. He enjoys passing on his experience, gained during stints at Chelsea, Portsmouth and Stoke City among others, and has his own academy, which operates in both the UK and Bosnia. In his spare time, he is making more media appearances, paving the way for a potential life after professional football. But he remains keen to prolong his playing career. Advertisement 'You only get one chance at this job,' Begovic says. 'I've looked after myself well over the last few years. In football, I don't look too far ahead. Hopefully, the right situation comes up, and I'd like to keep doing it. I'm really open to all roles. I've done them now, so let's see what happens.' The end of one chapter, then, and the start of another — for Begovic and the club he is leaving behind. What comes next may be unclear, but he is optimistic about Everton's future, having played his small part in safeguarding it. 'Hopefully, Everton have weathered the storm and you're looking at brighter times,' Begovic says. 'They deserve nothing but the very best. Ownership, hopefully, can open up more resources and opportunities with the new stadium. It's exciting times and hopefully they can make the most of it.'
