Everton investor Moshiri's words were encouraging - now he has to continue delivering with actionNeil Jones reflects on the Everton majority investor's radio interviewSo Farhad Moshiri has spoken, then.
And he certainly picked a good time to stick his head above the parapet. Everton fans are still reeling from Saturday's hiding at Chelsea, but they tuned into talkSPORT on Monday in their numbers to hear the Blues majority shareholder sing like a canary.
That Stamford Bridge defeat, he told host Jim White, had ruined his weekend. He couldn't look at the Sunday papers. The pain was worse than anything he felt while involved with former club Arsenal.
He was encouragingly open with regards Everton's proposed new stadium. Having visited the Bramley Moore and Stonebridge Cross sites last month, he revealed that "in our mind, we know where want to go." The finances, he said, are there.
There was entertaining stuff, too, on Ronald Koeman. "Koeman is Koeman," was one of the more quotable lines. "He does what he wants."
Ronald Koeman - he does what he wants
If "what he wants" is to strengthen the squad, then that is what Moshiri says will happen. The job of an owner and a chairman, he pointed out, is to hire and fire the manager.
"Once you hire a manager, you have to back them," he added.
Given what happened at Chelsea, and given Koeman's comments at regular points this season, one suspects that will mean transfer activity come January. Expect Steve Walsh and his recruitment team to be working overtime in the coming weeks.#
Moshiri was candid about Everton's summer business, and particularly enlightening with regards to those the club missed out on. Moussa Sissoko and Lucas Perez, for example, were lured away by Champions League clubs at the 11 hour, while Napoli simply refused to sell Kalidou Koulibaly or Manolo Gabbiadini, despite the Blues' strong interest.
Lazio forward Senegal Keita fights for the ball with Napoli's defender and Everton target Kalidou Koulibaly
The frustration was clear, even if Moshiri did quite rightly point out that Sissoko, Perez and Gabbiadini have hardly set the world alight this season.
Finances are one thing, but Everton still face a battle to convince players that Goodison is the place to be.
Koeman's arrival will help.
Moshiri stated that he felt the club needed "a star on the touchline" to help them compete, describing the North West as "the new Hollywood of football" with its big-name managers. The Dutchman's reputation, as much as the diligence of Walsh and his team, will be key, in January and beyond.
Will it be any easier to land targets in the New Year? Everton sit seventh at present but Koeman is mindful that they have won just one of their last seven games. With a dreadful Swansea City next up, the hope is that that slide can be arrested.
Premier League managers often talk of January as an awkward window, one in which value can be hard to find. Everton, at a conservative estimate, still need at least three first-team signings – will they be able to get them this time around?
Reinforcements are required at Everton
Going off what Moshiri said, they want a "box-to-box" midfielder as well as another forward and central defender. Plenty would argue that a new first-choice goalkeeper, some stellar cover at full back and a winger capable of performing better than "one in five" might be useful too.
Whatever happens, it promises to be an interesting time for the club.
There was encouragement in hearing a senior Everton figure speak so openly about the club's plans, on and off the field. That hasn't happened for some time.
Can Moshiri follow his words with actions? We will all be watching intently...
Neil Jones / Liv Echo
