Everton investment update: Sky Sports pundit sounds warning as MSP Sports Capital money arrives at Goodison Park
We’re delighted to welcome former Everton striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week the former Toffees captain will be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Goodison Park…
Kevin Campbell isn’t celebrating just yet over the arrival of MSP Sports Capital investment at Everton until he has seen what they do at the club.
The American company won a tight race against compatriots 777 Partners in head-to-head talks with Farhad Moshiri, and are set to have an “active role” in the running of the club [i News, 23 May] after providing a £100million-plus loan intended to eventually give them 25% of the club and seats on the board [The Athletic, 5 June].
But Campbell has pointed to the fact that since the current owner arrived and pumped hundreds of millions into the club the fortunes have deteriorated, and is more concerned about seeing what decisions the new figures make to improve the running of the Toffees.
The Sky Sports pundit exclusively told Goodison News: “They’re American but I don’t even know who they are. Do they know anything about football? Do they have a history in football?
“So having money and investing it, we’ve seen it happen at Everton when Moshiri came in. The money came in and the club got worse.
“The key for me is from top to bottom can they get everything right? There’s so many things that need to be tweaked and reset.
“This club has been a rudderless ship for a while. It needs a guidance, it needs that captain. It needs the engines redone to start powering on.
“I don’t know if MSP are the right people, that remains to be seen.
“But I tell you when we’re going to know. If they do put their money down on the table, what they do at board level is going to tell us everything.”
If Moshiri’s riches were supposed to turn Everton from perennially falling just short of the Premier League elite, who could always outspend them, into real contenders it has done nothing of the sort.
Twice in two years the club has almost ceased to even be a top flight entity, so money has resoundingly not proven to be everything.
With the current investment primarily aimed at helping get the new stadium development completed it remains to be seen what wider change the presence of MSP brings about.
If they can alter the direction of travel in a positive way it will be a huge relief for the long-suffering supporters, but until the proof is there in practise the jury will have to remain out.