Everton boss David Moyes has been backed to one day manage Scotland as speculation linking him with the vacant head coach role intensifies. The Scottish Football Association is searching for a new manager following Steve Clarke's resignation over the weekend.
Clarke's Departure After World Cup Exit
Clarke informed his players on Saturday night that he had decided to end his seven-year tenure after Scotland failed to advance from a World Cup group containing Brazil, Morocco and Haiti. The 62-year-old had recently signed a new four-year contract covering Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup but felt it was the right time to step away.
Moyes Among Candidates
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell has vowed to cast the net wide in his search for Clarke's successor, and Everton manager Moyes remains a frequently mentioned name. However, former Rangers and Scotland forward Kris Boyd believes Moyes will likely manage his country in the future but is unsure the SFA can lure him away from Everton now, especially since Moyes still has a year remaining on his contract.
"You imagine there will be a shortlist drawn up pretty soon, but I don't see any outstanding candidate," Boyd said. "You hear and see people like David Moyes and Ange Postecoglou mentioned. I don't think we're daft enough to think the Premier League isn't paying high wages. Moyes is still under contract there."
"I think in the future David Moyes will be a Scotland manager, but right now he's the manager of Everton Football Club and will be on a big salary. The SFA won't be able to compete with that," Boyd added.
Financial Constraints
Boyd also noted that Ange Postecoglou, another name linked with the role, has been on big salaries in his last two or three jobs, making it unlikely he would accept a lower salary from the SFA. "It's quite easy for everybody to throw names out, but the SFA and the majority of countries like us don't have the riches of other countries who can just go and get whichever manager they want," he said. "It will need to be within the wage structure of the SFA and that will rule a lot of big candidates out."
Other Candidates and Moyes' Interest
Everton icon Duncan Ferguson has already admitted he would be open to talks with the SFA over the role, while former Blues boss Sam Allardyce believes Moyes is the man Scotland should turn to. "Scotland should look at David Moyes next," Allardyce said. "It could be his life's ambition to manage Scotland; managing at international level has to be on his cards! It suits him given the stage he's at in his career."
Moyes admitted back in 2021 while in charge of West Ham United that he would be interested in becoming Scotland manager in the future. "Yeah, I do now," he told BBC Sportsound when asked if he has ambitions to manage his country. "I'm getting now to a stage in my career where I really enjoy club management and feel I have unfinished business to do yet. But I think at the right time, when things are right for me and if it's right for Scotland, then it might be a consideration."
