Dan Friedkin, Everton badge, Roma badge
Dan Friedkin's TFG have now completed their Everton takeover
Pete Hanson
Fri 20 December 2024 12:40, UK
Everton need to be wary of a “cautionary tale” from Roma after the Friedkin Group completed their takeover, Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele has said.
TFG officially completed their purchase of the Toffees on Thursday (19 December) in what Steele described as “momentous” for the Blues.
However, in a story written for Mail Online (19 December) he quoted Roma expert Scot Munroe as saying how things have gone “toxic” with TFG and supporters of the Serie A club the group also owns, and Everton supporters should be wary of the circumstances in the Italian capital.
He wrote: “There is no hiding that this is a momentous week for Everton. Members of TFG will be at Sunday’s clash with Chelsea — who Everton have beaten in seven of the last 10 home fixtures — and Goodison will be at fever pitch.
“Roma offers a cautionary tale, though. The Friedkins inherited a similar situation in the Eternal City: a sleeping giant facing financial woes but desperate to rekindle former glories.
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“It all started so well for TFG in Italy, and they were perhaps the most popular owners in Serie A at first. Roma ended a 14-year trophy drought in 2022 as they won the Europa Conference League under Friedkin’s star appointment Jose Mourinho.
“But the love affair went sour. A banner outside the training ground reads: ‘Presidents and directors, leave Roma, you are incompetent and unworthy!’ Roma expert Scot Munroe tells Mail Sport: ‘At first it was great but now it is toxic, toxic, toxic.
“‘You rarely hear from them. They were supposed to be in Rome recently but they cancelled their trip. They sacked club legend Daniele De Rossi as manager and there’s no structure. They hit the panic button quickly.'”
Everton fans can be excited but Roma acts as a warning
The initial love affair between Roma and TFG was pretty evident, especially when Jose Mourinho led the club to the Europa Conference League title in 2022 and made the Europa League showpiece 12 months later.
But a series of expensive transfer mistakes, coupled with the seemingly premature sacking of club legend Daniele De Rossi, has soured the relationship somewhat.
However, the Toffees needed a saviour and TFG have potentially saved the club from a calamitous outcome after a tumultuous few years under Farhad Moshiri.
Everton Goodison Park
Goodison Park, the home of Everton [Credit: Imago]
The new owners have to be given time to put their stamp on things and display their own plans for a more fruitful future. A shiny new stadium and the commercial revenue that brings should help no end and there is no reason not to be optimistic as an Everton supporter today.
And you don’t need to tell fans to be cautious, they’ve been put through the mill the last few years.
In other Everton news, sources have shared just how much Moshiri lost following his sale.
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