Everton investment update: ‘Spectacular’ stadium verdict as MSP Sports Capital pay up to £150million – Finance expert
Everton have got some more “good news” as they now have the resources to complete their “spectacular” new stadium development, according to Kieran Maguire.
The football finance expert from the University of Liverpool believes MSP Sports Capital will have paid up to £150million to boost cash-flow, on the way to eventually ending up with as much as a quarter of the club.
The Toffees escaped relegation from the Premier League on the final day of the season with a 1-0 over Bournemouth to avoid an immediate nightmare, and look to now have funding in place for their prized project.
Speaking on The Price of Football podcast on Thursday (1 June, 12m 30s) Maguire said: “People we know in the industry, they seem to think that MSP will end up with around about 20-25% of Everton, and I think they’ve probably paid somewhere in the region of £120million to £150million, which values the club at around £500million-£600million, which sounds a lot initially but that would include the new stadium.
“The good news from Everton’s point of view is that in terms of cash flow the club has the resources now to complete the Bramley-Moore Dock project… it’s going to look spectacular, there’s no doubt about that.”
Positive
It is unfamiliar territory for Everton fans for good news to arrive, especially off the back of a major reprieve in staying up, but it looks like the MSP deal is in place and the immediate future of the stadium build is cleared.
Those are two major hurdles cleared in terms of the long-held goal of actually moving into the dock-side development as a Premier League club in a year’s time.
But it is unlikely that the Toffees will be completely out of the woods for a while, as getting a deal done for much-needed investment is only really one of the first steps in plotting a course through choppy waters.
There remains the Premier League referral over the alleged breach of profit and sustainability rules which, whatever the aims of the clubs that Everton overcame in the relegation battle, looks likely to take some time to be heard.
And the small matter of what money is available for Sean Dyche in the transfer market will remain of primary importance for the duration of the window, with serious work needed.
Two relegation battles in a row, with two last-gasp escapes, should be warning signs enough that the team needs work in addition to the off-pitch concerns to avoid getting caught a third time.