'Wee bit of a moaner!' - David Moyes' hilarious story about Mikel Arteta as he rallies against Arsenal boss taking 'my players far too cheaply'

Two of the Premier League’s in-form sides lock horns on Saturday evening when Arsenal travel to Everton. The Gunners, who have won three of their last five league games, are looking to maintain their lead at the summit when they head to Hill Dickinson Stadium - a few hours after title rivals Manchester City entertain West Ham earlier in the day.

On the other hand, Everton are hoping to get back to winning ways on home soil. The Toffees - who lost 2-0 at Chelsea last time out - have also won three of their last five top-flight fixtures, rising to ninth in the league table.

The meeting between Everton and Arsenal will allow Moyes and Arteta to reminisce about their shared history upon the final whistle. 

Following a successful loan spell which saw him help Moyes’ Everton finish fourth in a remarkable 2004-05 Premier League campaign, Arteta joined the Blues permanently in the summer of 2005.

The former midfielder spent six more years on Merseyside, becoming a fan favourite amongst the Everton faithful as the club regularly finished inside the top eight under Moyes’ stewardship.

Keen to scale new heights, Arteta left Everton for Arsenal in the summer of 2011. And in a five-season spell with the north Londoners, he won four trophies including successive FA Cups in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Sharing a special relationship which has only strengthened since Arteta’s move into management with Arsenal in 2019, Moyes has since lifted the lid on the bond between the two men.

At his sharp-witted best in a pre-match press conference on Friday, Moyes said of Arteta: “Mikel was clever in his football thinking [as a player]. He knew how he wanted to play as well.

“He had a really good upbringing if you look at the clubs where he started, periods at PSG, periods at Barcelona, Real Sociedad. He had a real chance before he came and went to Glasgow Rangers and then came here [to Everton].

“He’d actually been around and seen a lot of clubs, a lot of really good clubs, with good setups. He was a wee bit of a moaner at times, Mikel. And that sometimes is a good sign as well. He wanted things to be done right, wanted it to be done good, wanted the team to play better.

“But he was a good player for us (Everton). Great captain, great player. Great signing, really, at that time.”

And when asked if Moyes had offered Arteta managerial advice over the years, the former Manchester United manager had time for one last joke.

Amusingly harking back to the summer of 2023, when West Ham - then managed by Moyes - saw influential midfielder Rice move to Arteta’s Arsenal for £105 million (€120m/$140m), he said: “He’s taken my players too cheaply in the past!”

Moyes then added: “But no, look, he’s a good lad, Mikel. And by the way, he’s doing amazing [at Arsenal], he’s doing a great job.”

Meanwhile, Arteta also spoke in glowing terms when discussing his relationship with Moyes ahead of Saturday’s reunion.

“I think that’s the word I’d use, gratitude and admiration,” Arteta told reporters on Friday. “I think he (Moyes) taught me the love that he’s got for the game and then the integrity that the game requires at any cost. 

“I think he’s a remarkable man, I think the way he manages the club, the people, his players, he’s outstanding and I’m very grateful for everything that he did for me, for Everton as well. But I think in general for English football as well, because he’s been an example of how to behave in good moments and in difficult ones. 

“It doesn't matter when you see how people are, and I think David’s done that, it’s something extraordinary.”