What Everton's Takeover Means For The Club
Everton’s imminent takeover could herald significant changes for a club that has toiled against relegation in recent years.
The American private investment company 777 Partners already has an interest in a number of football clubs, including Genoa, Standard Liege, Red Star, Hertha Berlin, and Vasco da Gama. The sale will go through after current owner Farhad Moshiri agreed to sell his 94% shareholding of the Liverpool-based team.
Fans will be excited about the potential developments following the change. However, Moshiri’s investment in the team exceeds £750 million in the 7 years he has been at the club. Everton’s recent plight has seen them move perilously close to dropping down to the Championship. The last time the club was relegated from the top-flight came in the 1950/51 season and fans will be keen to avoid a repeat.
For the last three seasons, Everton has finished in 16th, 17th, and 18th, respectively. A poor start to the season has seen their odds of being relegated this year drop to 7/4, making them third favourites to go down behind Premiership newcomers Luton and Sheffield United. The best odds from many bookmakers listed on safebettingsites.com for Everton staying up this season are currently at 8/15, but these will change after each fixture. The changes that are set to take place at Everton could also impact these odds.
The changes in fortune for Newcastle and Aston Villa in recent seasons following management and ownership changes could give Everton a boost and the current odds of finishing in the top six are a tempting, but unlikely, 250/1.
Current manager Sean Dyche should feel relatively safe having only been in the role since January of this year. Dyche has a good pedigree having worked wonders on a shoestring budget at Burnley.
The new owners could back Dyche in the winter transfer market as a way of securing their Premiership status and building a team that can rise up the table.
This summer, the club only spent around £35 million compared with the £70 million they received for players like Moise Kean, Alex Iwobi, Demarai Gray, and Thomas Cannon.
Two Portuguese strikers arrived in the summer with Beto joining from Udinese and the promising young attacker Youssef Chermiti arriving from Sporting. They were joined by the Dutch forward Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villareal, who has Premiership experience having played for Bournemouth and Tottenham.
The side will also benefit from the Premiership experience of free transfer Ashley Young and loan signing Jack Harrison from Leeds.
If Dyche can keep this Everton side in contention until the winter break and show the new owners that he can steer the club in the right direction, we might see a few more transfer targets being snapped up.
777 Partners’ interest in other clubs could also see players leaving or joining the club more easily.
Another big consideration for Moshiri when negotiating with bidders, was the development of Everton’s new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium. The cost of this is estimated to be £260 million over figures projected last year, resulting in the total cost of the project reaching £760 million.
New owners will be keen to remain in the Premiership if they are to invest in the club and its facilities. This means that Dyche and his squad have until Christmas to prove they have what it takes, or they could face the axe.
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