The Friedkin Group have been Everton’s owners for just under a year now, so what have been their best decisions so far?
Farhad Moshiri, for all the good work he did with the Hill Dickinson Stadium, left Everton in a real mess on and off the pitch.
When the Friedkin Group came in, the Toffees had a failing manager, an underperforming set of players and PSR issues.
Fast forward to the present day, and Everton are in a totally different position, so clearly the American investors have made some brilliant changes.
With that said, we’ve picked out the Friedkin’s best three decisions over the last 10 months, or so.
Director of Academy Nick Cox of Manchester United arrives ahead of the U18 Premier League.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Transforming Everton’s academy
Earlier this year, Everton’s academy recruitment was branded a ‘disgrace’ by sources close to the club, so the Friedkin Group moved quickly to change that.
They’ve pumped significant investment into the academy and pulled off a real coup by hiring Nick Cox from Manchester United.
Man United fans were absolutely gutted to lose Cox to Everton, as he’s regarded as one of the best around in the academy sphere.
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Cox’s official title at the club is technical director, and he has already overseen multiple exciting signings for the under-21s.
Everton signed Charlton wonderkid Reuben Gokah in August.
Replacing Sean Dyche with David Moyes
At the time, sacking Sean Dyche was deemed a huge risk, and it was a highly controversial decision among many pundits.
Paul Merson then questioned the decision to hire David Moyes, suggesting he was past it and noting they should’ve appointed Lee Carsley instead.
Indeed, Moyes has proved Merson and many others completely wrong, as he guided the Toffees well clear of relegation last term, 23 points above the drop zone.
The Scotsman now has ambitions to challenge for Europe, so quite clearly, bringing him back to Finch Farm has proved to be a great decision.
Changing the recruitment policy
Last season, Everton had the third-oldest average aged squad, only behind Fulham and West Ham United, who are both struggling this season.
So, the Friedkin Group changed the recruitment model and made sure that the summer window focused on driving down that average age.
Everton’s approach was geared towards recruiting younger talent who Moyes and his staff could develop into future superstars.
The Toffees’ nine signings had an average age of 24, so the club should reap the rewards over the coming years, rather than regress like they were forecasted to do under Dyche.