Ferguson was appointed by the Belfast club on a multi-year contract this week, returning to management after his spell with Inverness Caledonian Thistle ended when the Scottish club entered administration in 2024. He has wasted little time exploring ways to strengthen his new squad, turning to a manager he knows well from their time together at Everton.
“I’m trying to butter him up here, because I’m looking for some players,” Ferguson told talkSPORT.
“I texted him last night asking if he has any players for me. He’s one of the best managers I’ve ever worked with.”
The comments raise the possibility that Everton youngsters could be considered for a move to Glentoran, although Ferguson has not named any individual targets and no transfers have been announced. Any move would depend on Moyes’ assessment of Everton’s squad and whether players would benefit from gaining regular senior experience elsewhere.
Glentoran are currently third in the Northern Ireland Premiership, and Ferguson has been brought in with ambitions of challenging for the title. The 54-year-old said he intends to assess the players already at the club before making decisions about additions.
His first training session reportedly made an immediate impression, with Ferguson joking that one player had been sick after the intensity of the work. He said the squad had applied itself well and responded to a demanding session.
Ferguson’s return to management follows a period working in punditry, a path he said he could have continued. But he remains convinced that his coaching career has more to offer after difficult spells at Inverness and Forest Green Rovers.
“I was busy doing punditry and I could easily have kept going down that route. But I’ve been a wee bit unlucky in my managerial journey and I still think I’ve got unfinished business,” he said.
He explained that the opportunity at Glentoran appealed because of the club’s ambition and the conversation he had with owner Ali Pour.
“I lost my last job through administration, but I love football, management and coaching players. I met the owner and liked him. I thought it’s a big club, they’ve got ambition and it got the fire in my belly.”
Ferguson also spoke about the challenge of moving between clubs at different levels, saying he had previously helped Everton out of the Premier League relegation zone and guided Inverness towards the play-offs. He described his Forest Green spell as an attempt to rebuild a struggling side that ultimately did not develop as he had hoped.
The prospect of recruiting from Everton offers Ferguson a potential route to strengthen Glentoran, but for now it remains an early conversation rather than a confirmed transfer plan. His first task is to assess the squad and establish the standards he wants before deciding where reinforcements are needed.