Everton want to complete double signing as Farhad Moshiri speaks out
Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has broken his long-held silence and offered his backing to Frank Lampard and the club’s board, as the Toffees look to secure two new signings this window.
The club’s fan forum wrote an open letter [11 January] to the under-fire Everton majority shareholder expressing their frustration and discontent at how the club is currently being run.
The Toffees find themselves in a perilous position in the Premier League, sitting 18th in the table and with only one win in their last 12 games.
Lampard clearly needs backing during the January window, and the club have been linked with loan moves for Manchester United forward Anthony Elanga [GiveMeSport, 1 January] and Villarreal’s Arnaut Danjuma [Daily Mail, 10 January] in the past week.
And via iNews [11 January], Moshiri expressed his backing for Lampard and the Everton board, insisting that “stability must be the key to progression”.
He wrote:
“I have faith in the work being done not only by our manager but our director of football [Kevin Thelwell] and our board of directors.
“That faith is based on my knowledge of the depth and quality of work being done both at Finch Farm and the Royal Liver Building and the plan that is in place.
“I am confident that we have skilled, experienced and focused professionals at all levels of the club. We are all agreed our current league position must and will improve.”
Action over words
Whether the Everton fans who have been increasingly disappointed and frustrated at the club’s form and position, as well as activity off the pitch, will be encouraged by Moshiri’s comments is uncertain.
Supporters will be demanding action over words having grown accustomed to the owner’s lack of communication and transparency since his takeover in 2016.
It’s clear Lampard needs some backing and the signings of Elanga and Danjuma could go a long way in providing just that as well as rebuilding relations with the club’s loyal supporters.
But the Toffees need a transformation from the top down. Their lowly position in the league has been a long time coming simply because of incompetence and mismanagement from the club board.
Managers who have come and gone at Goodison Park have certainly felt the effects of that not being given the room, resources and confidence to take the club forward.
Whether that changes under Lampard’s stewardship as a result of the owner’s recent comments remains to be seen. What needs to happen is for the board and Moshiri to take the necessary action to get the club back to where it belongs, or else relegation from the Premier League looms large.