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Everton takeover news as The Friedkin Group close in on a deal
Everton fans will be hoping a new dawn is announced this week.
The Friedkin Group (TFG) will imminently be the Toffees’ new owners. After receiving approval from the Premier League last week, it seems a case of when and not if the American firm will be handed the keys to the club from majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri.
What supporters firstly want from TFG - headed by Texan billionaire Dan Friedkin - is stability on and off the pitch. Everton are a proud, historic club but have fallen into the lower echelons of the Premier League. Financial turmoil off the pitch, with losses of almost £400 million in the past four years, has had ramifications. The Blues have had two close shaves with relegation, while last season they were hit with an eight-point deduction for breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules.
But Evertonians will expect more than being just a steady top-flight club after a period. They believe the Blues should be regularly challenging for Europe, as they did under David Moyes’ managerial tenure. There is also the matter of a 30-year wait for a trophy to be won.
TFG will take charge of their second prominent European outfit, having owned AS Roma since August 2020. And when buying the proud Italian side, Friedkin revealed his ambitious plans, although asked for patience. He could, therefore, adopt the same approach at Goodison Park.
Speaking to Roma’s website, Friedkin said: “Make no mistake – we share this ambition with the fans, and we intend to win. But, we need patience – champions aren’t built overnight. We promise to work hard, smart and strategically, and to be 100% committed to AS Roma.
"We intend to listen a lot – and we have already been listening – and what we have heard so far is that the fans want three things – a team to be proud of, a club that appreciates, understands and shares their passion, and an ownership that is both present and honest.
“We totally understand that the fans and the media are desperate to hear news about what is happening – this is natural in football - but our style is to work in a different way. It’s more important that we work than talk – and then when the club has something concrete to say, whether it’s about a new signing, about a new appointment or whatever - then the club will speak on it.”
Friedkin also shared his vision for Roma in terms of becoming a global brand and spoke about its potential. With a new state-of-the-art stadium on the Liverpool waterfront soon to be completed, there is no doubt that TFG will see that as an opportunity for Everton to increase their footprint around the world.
Friedkin added: “This is already one of the biggest football clubs in the world – playing in possibly the most iconic city in the world. We have the fans, the passion, the history and the ambition – if we win on the pitch and act in the right way off it, we can showcase AS Roma to millions of people in Rome and all over the world.”
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