Everton’s European ambitions mean that they will stay quiet in the talks over greater revenue sharing between the Premier League and EFL, says football finance expert Kieran Maguire.
The Premier League and EFL have been deadlocked in negotiations over the share of money that filters down since 2023. Currently, the top flight sets aside about 16 per cent of its annual TV monies for solidarity and parachute payments, split between the Championship and Leagues One and Two
Everton earned just shy of £132m in central Premier League distributions last year. All 20 clubs pocketed £2.8bn combined from domestic and international TV rights and central commercial income. About £300m was creamed off the top of that figure for solidarity, meaning each club forfeited about £15m.
The final figure varies depending on which teams are relegated and how many years of parachute payments they are entitled among other factors, but £300m is the starting assumption each year.
Should Everton and the rest of the PL give more cash to the EFL?
The lower leagues say a greater share of revenue is key to financial stability
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The EFL, however wants a greater slice of the Premier League pie. They argue that parachute payments are distorting competition in the Championship and threatening clubs’ financial stability as its middle-class clubs ramp up spending to keep pace with ex-top flight clubs with nine-figure revenues.
Everton News understands that the EFL maintain that they want a 25 per cent cut, which incidentally was the percentage that then Premier League CEO Rick Parry offered the EFL ahead of the split in 1992. Parry is now CEO of the EFL, having spent a decade on the other side of Stanley Park at Liverpool in the interim.
For Everton, giving away an extra nine per cent would mean losing £13-14m in revenue each season. It would also wipe out most of the gains from the latest iteration of the domestic TV deal, which began at the start of 2025-26 and is worth £6.7bn over four seasons.
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The Government-backed Independent Football Regulator has the power to make a deal on the two sides’ behalf if they cannot agree independently. It appears, therefore, that a moment of reckoning is imminent.
So, how should the extra money be accounted for? And what will be the position of The Friedkin Group?
Reportedly, a group of mid-ranking Premier League clubs are now lobbying for teams competing in European competitions to contribute a greater share of their revenues to the solidarity pot under the terms of a deal that could be worth an extra £880m to the EFL over six seasons.
Everton v Chelsea - Premier League
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Everton are 8th in the Premier League, which could yield Conference League qualification or better come the end of the season. There could be a UEFA conflict of interest issue if Friedkin-owned AS Roma qualify for the same competition, but that’s a story for another day.
According to University of Liverpool football finance lecturer and Price of Football podcast host and author Maguire, Everton’s aspirations under the Friedkins put them in a delicate position in the latest round of talks
“Everton are a be-careful-what-you-wish-for club,” he said in exclusive conversation with Everton News.
“What might be in their interests in 2026 might not necessarily be in their interests if the Friedkin Group manage to monetise the stadium to full effect and achieve their ambitions on the pitch. If they can do that, then they might be worse off if the clubs in Europe are forced to give up a greater share of their revenues to support the EFL.
“So, I suspect Everton and the Friedkins will be very cautious in dealing with this. It wouldn’t surprise me if they kept their heads down while the two sides thrash out a deal.
“They have a very experienced new CFO in Martyn Hawkins who knows the rules inside out and is very capable. That will be an advantage here, too.”
Hawkins, who joined the top brass at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in September, will also be across Everton’s reported exploration of legal action against the Premier League for its handling of its investigation into and sanctions against Chelsea for illicit off-the-books player payments in the Roman Abramovich era.
Seven games left and on 46 points – how many points do you expect Everton to finish on? 🤔
David Moyes, manager of Everton, claps fans after a 3-0 win in the Premier League match between Everton and Chelsea.
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The Toffees and Nottingham Forest, two clubs whose backs are up because of their issues with how the Premier League has enforced Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), are said to be demanding a formal explanation after Chelsea swerved a sporting sanction and were instead fined just short of £11m.
Sources have regularly told Everton News about the Friedkins’ attempts to fix the relationship with the Premier League after years of rancour during the Farhad Moshiri era, but this latest development is a fly in the ointment.
The owners have bought into Everton at a turbulent time for football governance indeed.
With lawfare widespread, sovereign wealth and private equity now firmly embedded and umpteen financial issues to solve across the game’s domestic ecosystem, the next few years’ talks at Premier League HQ could shape English football for a generation.
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