Former Everton chairman Keith Wyness reckons Dan Friedkin’s takeover of the Premier League club will be “done in mid-November”.
The Friedkin Group has reached agreement to purchase Farhad Moshiri’s majority stake in Everton.
The group, led by the American billionaire Friedkin, had entered a period of exclusivity to negotiate a possible purchase in June, before Everton in July said that no deal would be struck between the parties.
John Textor, who has a 45 per cent share in Crystal Palace, had then appeared to be in the frame, but a statement from Everton on Monday read: “Blue Heaven Holdings and The Friedkin Group confirm that they have reached agreement over the terms of the sale of Blue Heaven Holdings’ majority stake in Everton Football Club.
“The transaction is subject to regulatory approval, including from the Premier League, the Football Association, and the Financial Conduct Authority.”
A spokesperson for The Friedkin Group said: “We are pleased to have reached an agreement to become custodians of this iconic football club.
“We are focused on securing the necessary approvals to complete the transaction. We look forward to providing stability to the club, and sharing our vision for its future, including the completion of the new Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.”
The Friedkin Group, holder of a controlling stake in Serie A side Roma, have been a lender to Everton, with an injection of £200million triggering its exclusivity period in the summer.
Prior to that, a deal for Miami-based firm 777 Partners to take over the Toffees had been agreed in September 2023 before collapsing in May.
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And now Wyness expects Friedkin will “fit through all of those hoops” of the Premier League’s owners’ and directors’ test with the former Everton chairman hopeful a deal will be announced in mid-November.
Wyness told Football Insider: “It was big news on Monday after big breakthroughs with the 777 situation and how that debt was going to be handled. Friedkin had already done the due diligence, he’d got £200million into the club.
“He knew everything was there but he had a few points he had to satisfy himself on. The club and Friedkin have announced it very happily, and we can now move on.
“In terms of timing, there are three authorities which have to be involved in the process. The Premier League are the main one, they have 10 points in their owners’ and directors’ test.
“I’ve got no doubt Friedkin will fit through all of those hoops. The FA, as the custodian of the game in England, will have a say. There is also the Financial Conduct Authority, and that should be a straightforward tick in the box.
“Ratcliffe was cleared at Man United in around 45 days. I think Friedkin will be quicker, I’m hopeful this could be done in mid-November. That would allow him to get in before the January transfer window, which is key. There’s a lot of relief around Merseyside at the moment.”
Everton have started the season poorly under Sean Dyche but Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher thinks the Toffees should stick with the former Burnley boss.
Carragher said on The Overlap: “I think Sean Dyche has done a really good job, from where he’s come in to where they are now. They would have finished not far off mid-table last season if the points deductions weren’t there.
“It’s been a poor start to the season but normally when you look to bring in a manager to keep you in the league, it’s that type of manager – clean sheets, make it difficult and hard to beat.
“I know the football hasn’t been amazing but when people talk about changing Sean Dyche now, I don’t quite see it. I see Everton in a new stadium, with new ownership and a new manager next season. I don’t think they should be thinking about changing the manager this season.”
But former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has warned Dyche that Friedkin has already shown a “ruthless” streak at Roma.
Scholes added: “I always think about teams that are in the bottom areas of the league and if you can’t score goals you’re knackered. Everton will be fine because they’ve shown that they can score goals.
“Yes, they’ve let a few in which they probably shouldn’t have done and had good leads in games where they’ve lost points, but I always think you have a chance if you can score goals. You look at teams like Southampton and don’t see where the goals will come from. Ipswich, I thought would score more goals but have had a tough start to the season.
“Sean Dyche is an experienced manager and if they do stick with him then they’ll stay in the league. With these new owners coming in, we’ve just seen what they’ve done at Roma with [Daniele] De Rossi so they can be quite ruthless.”
