Danny Mills believes Everton supporters have more reason to worry about the sale of leading players than Dan Friedkin’s continued absence from matches.
Everton sanctioned four permanent departures on deadline day, with Iliman Ndiaye, Beto, Tim Iroegbunam and Nathan Patterson all leaving the club.
Ndiaye’s £65m move to Manchester City was the biggest of those deals and Mills believes losing players of that calibre is more significant than whether Friedkin watches Everton in person.
“I think selling your biggest assets is a worry. It’s never easy,” Mills told the Liverpool Echo.
“Obviously, big money came in for Iliman Ndiaye, who’s done really, really well, he’s been very, very impressive. But when a team comes knocking for a player, it’s very, very difficult.”
Mills unconcerned by Friedkin’s Everton absence
Friedkin has not attended an Everton match at Goodison Park or the Hill Dickinson since The Friedkin Group completed its takeover, while David Moyes has previously said he has never spoken directly to the owner.
Mills doesn’t regard Friedkin’s attendance as particularly important.
“The owner not going to the game, I don’t really think, is that relevant,” he said. “I could go around the Premier League and, apart from one or two that are quite media-friendly and front-facing, I couldn’t tell you if the owner was at the game or not, if I’m honest.”
For Everton, what happened on deadline day is harder to ignore. Along with Ndiaye, Beto joined Fiorentina for around £15m, Tim Iroegbunam moved to Hull City and Nathan Patterson signed for Torino.
The guaranteed fees from those sales were worth more than £90m, with add-ons potentially pushing the eventual total beyond £100m.
Everton had earlier resisted interest from Nottingham Forest in Harrison Armstrong, while the proposed £40m signing of Folarin Balogun from Monaco collapsed late on deadline day. Ainsley Maitland-Niles was the only permanent arrival that day, alongside Jack Grealish’s return on loan from Manchester City.
The result was a smaller squad for Moyes, with Thierno Barry left as his only specialist senior centre-forward.
The club’s approach to buying and selling players has already been examined in our look at TFG’s player-trading model.
Friedkin’s absence from matches will inevitably remain a talking point, particularly while Moyes has yet to speak directly with Everton’s owner.
Mills’ concern is simpler. Who sits in the directors’ box is less important to him than who Everton keep on the pitch.
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