Jahm Najafi interested in Everton takeover amid plans for £3.1billion Tottenham bid
Jahm Najafi wants to buy a Premier League club and has had an interest in Everton, amid reports he is set to bid for Tottenham, according to The Mirror.
The billionaire tycoon is reportedly still in talks with Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri about acquiring a minority stake in the club [Sky Sports News, 15 February, 1.03pm], after a Wednesday (15 February) report from the Financial Times said that he is putting together a consortium to buy Spurs for £3.1billion.
Najafi was in attendance at Goodison Park on 14 January as Everton lost 2-1 to Southampton, and it appears there is interest in a full takeover of the club, although a bid has yet to arrive amid “disarray” on and off the pitch.
The Mirror report says: “Businessman Najafi – who is chair of MSP Sports Capital – wants to buy a Premier League club and they have also had an interest in Everton.
“Najafi, who co-founded MSP with former sports agent Jeff Moorad, was even pictured at Goodison Park amid suggestions that Everton’s majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri is ready to sell.
“But no bid has materialised for Everton, although the club is in a state of disarray because they are battling against relegation, are desperate to avoid the drop ahead of a move to a new stadium and the current board have had to stay away from home games because of security fears.”
Takeover?
If Najafi wants a Premier League club then it is going to be no use to him to get one that soon ends up in the Championship.
Indications are that he has little to no chance of successfully acquiring Tottenham, but Moshiri’s flip-flopping over whether he is willing to sell or just find new investment shows the stance is far less set at Goodison.
Given the direction of travel at the club with the current owner and board in charge, and the relationship with the fans which could hardly deteriorate any further, that is little surprise.
But if Moshiri is holding out for a huge fee there is unlikely to be any new owners until Premier League survival is clear.
That was the case back in the summer but the Peter Kenyon-led consortium’s attempts to take over ultimately went nowhere, amid characteristic mixed messages from the club.
It is obviously not as simple as wishing for anyone to replace Moshiri, because there is the possibility that whoever takes over could be worse, but Najafi wouldn’t have been at the game against Southampton if he wasn’t at least moderately serious in his intentions towards Everton.
But if he is publicly courting a Premier League rival it doesn’t suggest the current negotiations on Merseyside, whether that be for minority investment or a takeover, are rapidly approaching an agreement.
The Mirror report does note that there is “scepticism” over the public nature of the Spurs news, potentially meaning it is some form of negotiating tactic with regards to an Everton deal.
Whether the lack of a bid for the Toffees is due to the current state of the club or the state of the talks with Moshiri themselves is hard to discern at this point, but if the current owner is prepared to sell it looks like there is a willing taker in town.