George Overhill

Wed 15 February 2023 15:30, UK

The reported plans for a £3.1billion takeover of Tottenham by MSP’s Jahm Najafi have not ended potential investment at Everton, Kaveh Solhekol reports.

The Financial Times reported on Wednesday morning (15 February) that the man spotted in the Goodison Park crowd for the 2-1 defeat by Southampton on 14 January amid interest in acquiring a stake in the Toffees was readying a $3.75billion [£3.13billion] bid for Spurs.

However, this is apparently unlikely to be successful with the North London club not for sale, while talks are apparently continuing over the investment in Everton.

Speaking live on Sky Sports News on Wednesday (15 February, 1.03pm) Solhekol said: “The situation as far as Tottenham are concerned though, my understanding is there has been no approach to the club and the club is not for sale.”

After citing the talks to buy a “minority stake in Everton” he was asked by Nick Powell if this would end that situation and replied: “I don’t think it does. I think talks are continuing about the investment in Everton. MSP invest in a lot of different sports, they’re looking at investing in other clubs and sports businesses the whole time.

“So I don’t think this necessarily means that any investment in Everton is now off the table.”

Ambitious

All bets are off as to how this might affect the talks between Najafi and Moshiri given how such negotiations have broken down in the past with the Toffees owner.

The club obviously needs investment, and from a supporters’ point of view a takeover would be preferable, so the fact that huge money is available behind the Najafi means the hope will remain that he might be ready to take over from the current embattled owner.

But the situation that has caused fans to want him to leave is the same one that will likely prevent a full takeover at this point, especially for the kind of money that he no doubt wants.

In theory the new stadium should make Everton an attractive prospect, as it obviously does with Tottenham, but the difference is theirs is already completed and they are in the Champions League.

The decisions made at Goodison Park over recent years have the club battling to stay in the top flight, let alone qualifying for Europe, so no investor is going to shell out Premier League money for a club that might fall out of it in the near future.

Perhaps minority investment can become a takeover in the future if Sean Dyche keeps the club up, but there are a lot of hurdles to be cleared before something like that so nobody can get too excited yet.

But it is at least a positive that the latest interest in the Blues hasn’t already ended amid apparently finding a better option.