_By JohnB_
When Dan Friedkin acquired Everton, he did so after 777 Partners, who had agreed a deal with former owner Farhad Moshiri in September 2023 (with conditions), failed to close out negotiations.
777’s period of exclusivity expired on June 1st, 2024.
Within two weeks, Friedkin had agreed a deal in principle with Moshiri, but around a month later he walked away and stayed away for two months, returning in mid-September and quickly closing the deal when it became clear that John Textor wasn’t going to be able to, having failed to walk a good talk.
Three months later, all the regulatory boxes had been ticked, and on December 19th, Evertonians were welcomed in an open letter by Dan Friedkin to his “diverse family of companies”, as he outlined how delighted he was to bring The Friedkin Group’s company ethos to “strive to deliver extraordinary experiences that ignite people’s passion”, and that he recognised he was new to the club but claimed to “fully understand the vital role Everton play in local culture, history and the lives of Evertonians”.
Those words are less than two years old. And that is all they are: Words, written by a public relations person, designed to say the right thing at the right time.