Everton could sell Amadou Onana to stop forced sale of new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium
Everton could be forced to allow star midfielder Amadou Onana to leave this summer to stop the potential sale of their new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium.
According to Daily Mail journalist Ian Herbert, the Toffees may be forced to sell their new stadium build if they are relegated from the Premier League.
Herbert wrote on Tuesday (4 April) that in a bid to recoup some of the cash after relegation to the Championship, the Blues may end up becoming tenants in their own new stadium, in an embarrassing new development.
The Toffees have long been cited in recent weeks to have damaging financial troubles after the Blues announced their “catastrophic” financial results on Friday [31 March], with the club recording a fifth successive year of losses reported at £44.7m for the year ending in June 2022.
“One of the bitter ironies for those fans is that the new Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock – the face of the club’s future for so long – could become someone else’s if relegation does come. One scenario is that it would be sold to raise cash and an arrangement reached by which Everton would become the tenant,” said Herbert.
However, there could well be a potential new development that could save the Everton bosses some major embarrassment, and that’s regarding the uncertain future of their star summer signing Onana.
According to Belgian outlet Het Nieuwsblad, both Arsenal and Chelsea who have a long-held interest are lining up to sign the Goodison Park star man with the report revealing that the Toffees are looking to recoup between £50-£60m for the former Lille midfielder, which has also been shared by CBS journalist Ben Jacobs [5 April].
The £33m Everton summer signing has been an absolute revelation for the Toffees throughout the campaign and Belgian journalist Sacha Taviolieri revealed on 5 April that there is no official price yet for the midfielder but the Blues will soon hold meetings to decide.
And seeing as the Toffees are embroiled in such financial peril right now, that decision could come in the form of allowing arguably their most prized asset a departure to pull the rug over their shame of selling their new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium.
Considering the financial difficulties Farhad Moshiri finds himself in right now – needing significant funding for the Bramley-Moore Dock stadium and currently embroiled in an FFP investigation – it looks like Dyche is going to have a limited war chest to attack the summer transfer window with right now.
The Toffees fans will not be particularly pleased about this new development and they would also hate to see one of their best players leave the club, even if it is for a considerable profit on the £33m they paid last summer.
However, for the future sustainability of the club and their new stadium, majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri and the Everton board may have to make a costly sacrifice.
So if Onana is to leave, the Toffees must ensure they suck every pound they can from any potential suitor. Players like him are priceless commodities in the current market.