Exclusive: David Unsworth on nearly getting Everton job, Moyes return and summer transfer plans

In an exclusive interview with TEAMtalk, former Everton player, caretaker manager and coach David Unsworth has revealed his thoughts on David Moyes’ return to the Toffees, the busy transfer window ahead, and his ‘dream’ to manage the club he first joined when he was 13 years old.

Unsworth, who made 350 appearances for Everton and played a major role in the Toffees’ last major trophy win – the FA Cup in 1995 – also told us about his new role as FullNinety’s Head of Global Player Development.

Having spent eight years with Everton as manager of the under-23s, he sheds light on his ‘unbelievable success’ in that role, the sale of left-back Antonee Robinson, which left him ‘baffled’, and much more.

David Unsworth’s new role as FullNinety’s Head of Global Player Development

“It’s really exciting. I’ve known the owner of FullNinety, Gareth Jones, for over 20 years. He’s one of the top agents in the country. I knew him when he was representing a few players at Everton and I’ve always had a good rapport and friendship with him.

“I love how he works with his players, not just youngsters but elite players in men’s and women’s football. It’s like a big family for him. He’s not just motivated by money and he’s built up a magnificent company.

“If I’m being honest, I’ve never been hooked into the idea of working with an agency, but in this role, I’ll be working with the players one-to-one, going through their clips, mentoring and talking to them – trying to add some value to their career.

“I’ll also speak to their managers to ask what they’re looking for, ask what the players are doing and what they’re not. For example, making sure they’re not on their Xbox or PlayStation in the afternoon when they could be doing extra training – ensuring they’re not wasting their time. I think, with my experience, I can add real value and help players with their journeys and careers.

“There’s nothing I’ve not seen before, there’s nothing that hasn’t happened to me when I was a player. If I had that guidance when I was young it would’ve been superb, so I’m here for them.

“I think me being a manager, a coach, a player at every level, will be invaluable. I’m here to help the players and make sure they maximise their potential.”

Is working with an agency similar to management and coaching?

“I think it’s definitely very similar. We watch the games, watch all the clips really closely for all our players, and we’re in contact with the managers and the coaches.

“When I played, you trained in the morning, and then you had your lunch, and then you went home. The game has massively changed. Being a footballer is a full-time job now.

“Training might finish at lunchtime, but then you’re back out in the afternoon, tweaking bits of your game, or in the gym, doing a recovery program – it takes time.

“Nutrition, too, is everything now, what a player eats and doesn’t eat. There’s also the psychological side, which is very important, as it should be, in the modern game, to talk about what’s bothering him or her.

“It’s a huge job now being a league player. I think players know that now, more than ever, so they’re receptive to doing different things and working really hard. That makes it easier to squeeze every ounce of talent out of them to make that player better.”

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From an agent’s point of view, how do transfers work?

“The biggest thing when talking to a player about a potential transfer is to have an honest, realistic conversation about where he or she is at.

“They might feel like they are ready for the Premier League but if you have an open conversation and you’re close to the player, you have to be straightforward with them – sometimes it can be a difficult conversation. You might think they’re not ready, and need another year or two at the level they’re currently at, so it’s important to manage expectations.

“That’s why it’s vital for me to have a good relationship with the players. The first point is you must be honest, the second point is that the player’s performance will always dictate if they get a move or not.

“I, or Gareth, can’t get a player to Everton, for example, if they’re not playing. It also comes down to who is available, what their contract situation is, and whether clubs are looking to sign players in their position.

“Most players, when they’re not playing, want to move. They speak to their agents and say: ‘I’m not playing this week, I want to leave’. But you’ve got to ask: ‘Have you been training right? What’s your performance been like in games?’ And usually one of those two things aren’t right.

“You’ve got to train and play well consistently to get a top move. Inflated expectations is something I’m coming across a lot with players. In a way that’s great, because footballers need confidence, but managing expectations is a different thing.

“Transfers are more what Gareth does, while my role is to concentrate on the development of the individual player and maximising their potential.”

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“At the time Everton needed the money to balance the books and in the end, every party was happy. That doesn’t always happen.

“Chelsea, Everton and Ishe were all delighted with the move. Ishe is an incredibly talented young man who I know really well. A very talented, left-sided defender, either left-back or centre-back, with an incredible future ahead of him.

“He’s got great parents behind him who support him. He also has a very talented brother, Odin, who is still at Everton.

“The next step for Ishe would maybe be to go out on loan to get exposure to first team football – that’s if he can’t get into the Chelsea team!

“He’s only 18 and is one of England’s brighest prospects, certainly at his age.”

What was it like being caretaker manager of Everton?

“I was a very proud man. I’ve done it a couple of times. The first time was only for one game against Norwich, last game of the season, when Roberto Martinez left, it was myself and Joe Royle in charge. We got a wonderful 3-0 win, so in terms of individual games that was fabulous.

“The second stint was different. It was a little longer, and we were on a tough run. We tried to find a formula that would work and win games.

“We were playing in the Europa League between the league games, which made things difficult in trying to get the best out of the players. We couldn’t get any time on the training ground as we were just playing games, recovering and going again.

“We managed to get a couple of good results, particularly a 4-0 win against West Ham when Wayne Rooney was outstanding and scored a hat-trick – my last game in charge.

“There was a lot of talk at the time between me and the chairman at the time, Bill Kenwright, about maybe getting the job. And who wouldn’t want the Everton job? It’s a fabulous role for any Evertonian.

“I was desperate for it, desperate to do well, succeed, and win enough games to get the job until the end of the season, to be able to breathe and do some training. We never got that respite where we could focus on training enough. Sam Allardyce ultimately came in, did a great job and got an eighth-place finish.

“It was mission accomplished in a way for me, as we got away from the bottom three. It also felt like a bit of a missed opportunity, where I always feel I could’ve done the job, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

“I will be forever grateful for the opportunity and loved every second. I would’ve died to have got the job, it was my dream. Everton has been my life since I was 13 years old and I just absolutely loved the club.

“After I’d got a taste for first-team management, I felt I had to go and have a go. Sometimes you pick the right club, sometimes you don’t. But there is no bigger job than managing Everton, for me. That ambition will never leave me.”

Would you go back into management in the future?

“Of course I would. I would definitely manage again, definitely, but it would have to be the right club with the right people and the right opportunity.

“It’s very difficult to do a job in six months, to have the success that every club is searching for, but managers are getting that time.

“They’re not getting the the opportunity to stamp their authority on the club. It’s difficult, a really tough gig at the moment, being a football manager.”

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What did you learn as Everton Under-23s manager?

“I loved doing the under-21s, under 23s jobs. I absolutely loved it. What we felt would create success was for us to train them in a first-team environment, and not treat them like kids. We had unbelievable success.

“It’s not all about winning trophies – it’s about getting players into the first team. What I experienced over the years, was that decisions can be made too quickly on youngsters and sometimes they miss out on first team opportunities as a result.

“I’ve seen it many times, when senior players get injured, suspended and just generally the first team squad is diminished towards the end of the season. What I wanted was to keep the best young players around, rather than loaning them out, so they didn’t miss an opportunity.

“My job was to develop top players for Everton – I saw so many opportunities missed when youngsters were out on loan, and when they came back that opportunity had been and gone. My debut for Everton was the second to last game of the season, I scored, played in the next game, and then I was a first team player. I wanted to make sure the under-23s players had the same opportunity. I’m a massive believer in the loan system but it has to be the right move for that player’s development.

“We had some amazing talent at the time. Anthony Gordon, we signed Dominic Calvert-Lewin from Sheffield United, signed Mason Holgate, who went straight into the first team.

“Antonee Robinson was another one and a classic example of selling a player after his loan [with Wigan]. If we’d have kept Robinson for another six months, he’d have been the natural replacement for Leighton Baines.

“It baffled us at the time, but unfortunately when these players leave on loan you lose control of them and then it’s not your decision.

“We knew Antonee would be a late developer and look how well he’s doing with Fulham now. He’s going to get a top move this summer.”

How has Everton’s managerial changes impacted young players?

“When you change the manager time and time again, which we did, you get a build up of surplus players, and the young players never get a look in.

“I think if David Moyes had stayed through that period, we might have had five, six or seven players who might’ve had 200 or 300 appearances for Everton by now.

“David was strong and would’ve given players an opportunity. He certainly would’ve known about them about paid attention to the academy. Some managers did and others didn’t – I won’t name names!

“Some have no time to invest in young players who could be ready in 12 months time – they’re not interested because their job is on the line. I’ve been there, I know it.

“Only a manager that has been there for the long term, a manager who’s very strong, like Moyes in his first stint, like Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, can really give those youngsters an opportunity.

“You’ll see it again with Moyes this time, because he’s strong and knows the importance of bringing your own talent through into the first team.”

What do you make of Everton’s youth squads now?

“Everton have got a strong group at under-18s, who I know from when they were at under-14s and under-13s level. They were a strong team where most of the players were solid 8/10s.

“There was no star player, no Wayne Rooney or Anthony Gordon. We were trying our utmost to recruit some some elite players, because we felt there was great teams, but maybe not a great individual player amongst them. But the under-18s have a strong side now.

“Harrison Armstrong hasn’t surprised me, he had great character when I worked with him when he was younger and was always one of the best in that group.

“He’s done great because he’s hungry and took his opportunity – Harrison will hopefully be one of the boys that come through.

“But I do feel like Everton’s ‘golden generation’ of youngsters has been and gone. Now, everyone at the academy will be looking to recruit more star players, but it’s difficult to compete with Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool – who are all in our area.

“Everyone is searching for the next Wayne Rooney – but there’s not many of them around!”

What are the priorities for Everton and their new owners, The Friedkin Group?

“The main priority was a new owner coming in. We were desperate for somebody to come in, not just somebody with money, but someone with the actual knowledge of how to run and how to structure the football club in the right way.

“I think the first decision they made has been a brilliant decision by bringing David Moyes back in – an inspiring choice, a brilliant choice, to get David in to then bring his staff in, to bring Alan Irvine back [as assistant manager].

“Alan is an absolutely top bloke, a top coach, and loves and knows Everton inside out.

“It will be interesting to see who the new director of football is, if there is one, or if we go down the ‘head of recruitment’ model instead.

“After that, the academy needs to be improved and invested in. It’s been decimated to help balance the books.

“Selling the likes of Lewis Dobbin and Ishe Samuels-Smith for around £15m combined is incredible business in a way – but the academy will always suffer when there’s issues at a football club.

“Getting Everton back to being the top academy in the country again is possible. We’ve dropped off a touch, but the infrastructure is still there. All it takes is good investment, in staff and recruitment.

“Alan Irvine – a former academy director – will have one eye on the academy and who’s coming through.

“But the main priority for The Friedkin Group so far has been stablising the team, the business, bringing David Moyes back and making sure we move into our new stadium as a Premier League club.

“Now they’re ticked off, The Friedkin Group can look at improving the academy.”

What do you make of Moyes’ reappointment at Everton?

“I’m delighted for David and everyone at the club that he’s come back and had the impact that he has already. He’s done brilliant and will continue to have that impact – the team will get better and better.

“Sometimes a change in manager can just spark a team. It was the same back in 1995 when Joe Royle came into the changing room at Everton.

“It was the same players, same team, and we went on to finish sixth and win the FA Cup.

“I think it’s important to thank Sean Dyche for the job he did at Everton, but sometimes a change of manager and a few tweaks in training and tactical set-up can make a huge difference.

“When I played under David, he was a tremendous coach and he still is a tremendous coach. He’s on the training ground, taking sessions. Back then he was incredibly detailed, football mad, maybe a bit too intense at the beginning, but from what I’ve been told he’s mellowed now.

“Alan Irvine is a sensational guy, I’m told that Billy McKinley is a very good guy and coach. He’s got Leighton Baines there who’s stepped up and he’s a link between the first-team and academy.

“Everything is in place for Everton to be successful and everyone is rightly excited for the future. The new stadium looks special, too. Goodison Park has been amazing, but it’s time to move forward.

“I’ve been invited back to Goodison so I can have a look on my own, maybe take my kids and shed a tear, so that’ll be nice.”

What will David Moyes be looking for in the transfer window?

“It depends how David wants to play. He’s generally a 4-5-1 or 4-3-3 guy. Towards the end of his first Everton spell he was playing Tim Cahill off the striker and two deeper midfielders – he could go down a similar route or try something different next season.

“I think we need a striker – that would be the top of my priorities. I think we potentially need two new full-backs too. Certainly you can strengthen in midfield and in wide areas.

“David will want to put his stamp all over the pitch. I think the two areas that are safe are centre-back and goalkeeper. James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite are a great combination and Jordan Pickford is superb. But I think every other position is up for grabs.”

“I think there will be a lot of comings and goings in Everton. With David, you can trust him in the in the transfer market. He’s going to do his homework on whatever players he brings in.

“Other than those sort of two positions, I think it’s pretty much a revolving door this summer.”

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