Everton’s announcement that agreement has been reached for the Friedkin Group to take over the club has been welcomed by Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram.
The news came via a joint statement on Monday from Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri’s Blue Heaven Holdings and the group, led by American billionaire Dan Friedkin.
Sean Dyche’s Everton are currently 19th in the Premier League with one point from five games, having finished 15th last term in a campaign that saw them twice docked points for breaching profit and sustainability rules.
Rotheram said in a post on X: “As founding members of the Football League and one of the country’s most successful teams, Everton are a crown jewel deserving of careful and committed stewardship.
“This is great news for the club, fans and our wider region. Hopefully now it can begin to turn the page and move forward.”
In Monday’s statement, a spokesperson for The Friedkin Group described Everton as an “iconic football club”, adding that it was looking forward to “providing stability” and sharing its “vision” for the Merseyside outfit’s future, “including the completion of the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock”, into which they are due to move from Goodison Park next year.
The group – owners of Serie A side Roma – have returned to the fore in Everton’s ownership saga, having previously entered an exclusivity period with them in June after a proposed takeover by 777 Partners collapsed.
A month later, the parties said a purchase would not be happening, and John Textor, who owns 45 per cent of Crystal Palace, subsequently appeared front runner to take control at Everton, before Monday’s announcement that a new agreement had been reached between Moshiri and Friedkin.
The deal is subject to regulatory approval, including from the Premier League, the Football Association and the Financial Conduct Authority.
While it remains to be seen how that process goes, the PA news agency understands the club expect no issues with it and are envisaging that it could be completed before the end of the calendar year.