Everton's David Moyes blasts Manchester City for being big-money bullies with no class or respect over Lescott bid

David Moyes (Pic:PA)

David Moyes has accused Manchester City of having no class and no respect.

Furious Everton manager Moyes hit out over the way he believes City have become big-money bullies in their bid to sign centre-back Joleon Lescott . Moyes fumed: "It is about showing respect - and we are not being shown that."

He believes the way that City manager Mark Hughes, chief executive Garry Cook and their Abu Dhabi employers are trying to sign England star Lescott is all wrong.

He told Sunday Mirror Sport: "I'm sure if I was Mark Hughes with all the money he has I would try to buy the best players.

"But we'd try to go about it in a different fashion.

"I would think I would go about my business in the way I have always done."

As Moyes privately understands it, Lescott knows his weekly salary would be more than trebled from its current £30,000 even though no deal has been done - or is likely to be done.

Moyes added: "I've always tried to contact the managers and show respect to them in terms of transfers and no matter how much money I might have to spend I would always want to keep that up.

"It goes back to the managers having a drink together after the game, to the fact managers will still phone each other up when they are looking for a player.

"That is part of the way it should be done."

Moyes believes that even Chelsea, who during Roman Abramovich's biggest spending days seemed to use their money like a battering ram, still did it better than City.

He added: "Chelsea went about their business the right way. They did it well within the parameters of normal transfer behaviour."

City are now looking for Lescott to show he wants to leave by putting in a transfer request. If they fail to get him, they will go for Newcastle's Sebastien Bassong.

But City have won the race for Leeds' 19-year-old midfield star Fabian Delph, who is set to move to Eastlands in a £10m deal.