Events this week are set to net Everton a cash boost of around £35million
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Everton played their final Premier League fixture at Goodison Park on Sunday, defeating Southampton 2-0. But as weeks go, it’s been one of the most-profitable in the club’s history with the Blues securing approximately £35million without having to sell a single player.
Firstly, last Friday, Everton announced a naming rights deal which will see their future 52,888 capacity home on the Mersey waterfront at Bramley-Moore Dock now called Hill Dickinson Stadium. Although the Blues did not disclose either the valuation of the agreement or length of the sponsorship, described as “long-term,” it’s understood to be worth in the region of £10million a year.
On top of that, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ 4-2 defeat at Selhurst Park on Tuesday night in what was a triumphant homecoming for FA Cup winners Crystal Palace after the south London side beat Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley on Saturday, confirmed that Everton will finish this season in 13th place in the Premier League table. In what has been a remarkable upturn in fortunes in the second half of the historic final season at Goodison for the men’s first team since David Moyes’ return, the Blues have picked up 28 points from 18 games after collecting just 17 points from their first 19 under predecessor Sean Dyche.
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When Dyche was sacked, following a 1-0 loss at Bournemouth, Everton were just one point above the drop zone with less than 50% of their final points total from 2022/23 (36), the lowest equivalent haul in their history, when they avoided a first relegation in 72 years by a single Abdoulaye Doucoure goal on the final day. However, now, with just one final round of Premier League fixtures left to play, the Blues have a 20-point cushion between themselves and the bottom three.
Although this improvement has only seen them climb three places in the table given that they were 16th when Moyes, who steered them to nine top-eight finishes included a highest-ever Premier League position of fourth in 2004/05, was reappointed, realistically they have finished as high as they could in what is a five-club ‘mini league’ of teams above the newly-promoted trio who have all gone straight back down to the Championship. Incredibly, Everton will finish above two of the so-called ‘Big Six’, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, who go into their final Premier League games both shy of the 40-point mark, although one of them will secure a reprieve following their awful domestic campaigns by securing a back door entry to the Champions League when they meet in tonight’s Europa League final in Bilbao.
With the Blues also finishing above West Ham United, whose manager Graham Potter was linked with a Goodison Park switch before heading to the London Stadium in the same week that Moyes returned, plus Wolverhampton Wanderers, who enjoyed a six-game winning streak under former Everton managerial candidate Vitor Pereira, they are now locked into 13th spot regardless of the result against Newcastle United at St James’ Park on the last day.
This means the club will bank £24.9million in prize money, based on £13.5million in UK Merit payments and £11.4million in International Merit payments, an increase of £9.3million from the £15.6million they’d have got for finishing 16th, the position when Moyes returned. Just finishing above Wolves gives the Blues an extra £3.1million, showing that every place counts.
Champions Liverpool will receive £62.3million, while Everton’s final opponents, the Magpies, know that there’s as much as £12.4million riding on beating the Blues as they currently sit fourth (£52.9million) but could finish anywhere from third (£56million prize money) to seventh (£43.6million) depending on what they do plus results elsewhere. In contrast, the three relegated clubs will collect £9.4million (18th), £6.2million (19th) and £3.1million (20th) respectively.