Everton are in the process of being taken over by 777 Partners, but one journalist has dropped a concerning update after what he’s heard from Merseyside.
Does Farhad Moshiri still own Everton?
Last month, Farhad Moshiri reached an agreement with the American investment firm to sell his 94.1% stake in the club, which initially came as music to the ears of supporters who have been calling for him to step down from his position over the past couple of seasons.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein soon after reported that the Toffees had received a loan worth tens of millions of pounds from their new owners to help with projects in the short-term, including the build of the upcoming stadium Bramley-Moore Dock.
The Goodison Park outfit are therefore expected to become the next club to be owned by the 777 Group, and they already have an impressive portfolio of teams under their belt in the form of Standard Liege, Hertha Berlin, Sevilla and Genoa, soon to be joined by Sean Dyche’s side in the Premier League.
Everton takeover update
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Paul Brown revealed in an Everton takeover update that whilst the 777 Partners agreement is expected to go through, they aren’t doing it for genuine reasons to help the club achieve success. He said:
"They're right in that there is no magic wand to fix Everton. I think it's going to be a long, slow process just to get the finances back on track, whoever takes the club on.
"Unfortunately, I'm yet to speak to anyone in football who believes that this group has the capability or the funding to achieve any kind of stability or success with Everton.
"In fact, I've even spoken to people who suggest that this may be less about owning a successful Premier League team and more about adding value to the portfolio and helping to attract new investment into the wider business."
Moshiri potentially leaving the club would be a positive regardless – it’s way past time that there was a major change among the hierarchy with a view to the long-term future, and whilst there are plenty of things going on behind the scenes, there needs to be more of a focus on performances on the pitch.
Dyche’s team have had a majorly disappointing start to the new season having won just two, drawn one and lost five of their opening eight fixtures meaning that they find themselves 16th in the table, albeit with some good form in recent weeks:
Brentford (3-1)
Sheffield United (2-2)
Fulham (1-0)
Bournemouth (3-0)
Aston Villa (4-0)
Wolves (1-0)
Arsenal (1-0)
Luton (2-1)
The Blues will be wanting someone to invest who will have the sufficient funds to be competitive in the market which will lead to buying better players and therefore making the manager’s squad stronger, but should the 777 Partners be unable to provide the cash or stability required, then this is definitely a deal to be worried about.
