By George Overhill

24th May, 2023 | 5:10pm

Everton investment update: MSP Sports Capital want 'active role' in club with board seats expected

Everton appear set to get the new influence at the top that fans have been crying out for as MSP Sports Capital want to play an “active role” in the running of the club, according to i News.

An announcement on a deal with the American company could follow close after the final game of the season, with Farhad Moshiri currently wanting to keep quiet on the subject in order to avoid causing a distraction around the clash with Bournemouth.

But after an exclusivity agreement was reached with the Jahm Najafi-led business on Monday (22 May), investment to the tune of 25% of the Toffees is thought to not be far off, and with it an overhaul in the board room.

According to the i News report: “MSP, whose chairman is Iranian-American billionaire Jahm Najafi, want to play an active role in the club’s running and seats on the board are expected to follow, with changes to the structure of the club also anticipated.”

At last

Whatever anyone’s opinion is of the figures who currently occupy the Everton board, and the loudest views are certainly not positive, it is plain for all to see that their time in charge isn’t taking the club in the right direction.

All the good will in the world means nothing if the practical effect of decision-making doesn’t work, and with a final-day escape needed to even stay in the Premier League, pushing the peril one step further than last season’s penultimate-game win, this is clearly not a successful team right now.

Moshiri has spent big and has very little to show for it on the pitch, although the stadium development which the MSP Sports Capital cash should ensure the future of would be a major achievement on his part.

Everton looks to have been crying out for new voices at the top to redirect this ship onto the right course, and while some might reserve judgment on Najafi and company’s influence until they are through the door and effects are evident given the owner was also happy to let the current board run things up until now, it seems like a much-needed next step.

Fans have been making clear their opposition to the incumbents with regular protests, and while it remains to be seen who stays and goes once a deal gets over the line it seems clear that significant change is on the way.

Avoiding relegation remains priority number one, but if Sean Dyche and the players can finish the job on Sunday (28 May) it looks set to be consolidated by a deal that secures the future of the new stadium and sets in motion much-needed rearrangements within the hierarchy.