POUND-for-pound, who is the best manager in the Premier League?
I know where my money is – David Moyes.
Moyes has made Everton one of the best teams in the country on a budget that other managers would wince at.
While Liverpool were spending £26.5m on Fernando Torres, Moyes was paying less than half of that on the equally as prolific Yakubu. Instead of parting with £17m on midfielders like Owen Hargreaves, Moyes paid Sheffield United £4m for Phil Jagielka. And, rather than splashing £13.5m on a winger like Florent Malouda, Moyes went for a loan signing in Steven Pienaar.
The Everton boss has done this season after season and moulded a team that is now capable of challenging for a Champions League spot – and even winning the UEFA Cup come May.
Moyes has already beaten Liverpool to a Champions League spot once, and few would bet against him doing it again. When the Glasweigan did have one bad season, his board stood by him and have been rewarded with this season’s fantastic achievements.
There is no denying that Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Rafa Benitez are some of the best managers in Europe, but they haven’t built their current teams on a shoestring budget like Moyes.
Wenger has, to an extent, had his hands tied in recent years with much of Arsenal’s money being diverted towards building their current stadium, but he has still had money available for fresh faces.
And, while Wenger is plucking top talent from around Europe, Moyes prefers to sign players that he has seen can handle the English game. That is because Moyes can’t afford to gamble.
By signing Phil Neville, Andy Johnson, Tim Howard, Tim Cahill, Joleon Lescott, Yakubu and Jagielka, Moyes has shown himself to be a good judge of talent.
Don’t be surprised if he wins Manager of the Year this season.