‘Fresh’ Everton investment signalled as Bill Kenwright expected to leave by Wednesday after Denise Barrett-Baxendale exit
Bill Kenwright is expected to leave Everton by Wednesday (14 June) after the resignation of CEO Denise Barrett-Baxendale and the “surprising” exits of Grant Ingles and Graeme Sharp, The Guardian reports.
After months of fan protests the three board members dramatically quit on Monday (12 June), and amid talks between the chairman and owner Farhad Moshiri a club statement promised an update on Kenwright’s future within “the next 48 hours”.
But according to The Guardian when that update arrives it is likely to add his name to the outgoing list, with his and Barrett-Baxendale’s departures expected, but finance director Ingles and non-executive director Sharp “more surprising”.
The Mirror had reported on Monday night (12 June) that Kenwright had in fact tried to resign with the others, but was convinced to stay on by Moshiri in order for him to find a replacement, but that arrangement is apparently not set to stay in place long and he is tipped to leave imminently according to The Guardian’s update.
The moves are considered to signal that “fresh investment” from MSP Sports Capital is now “imminent” at Goodison Park, after the American consortium having reached an exclusivity agreement with Moshiri prior to the end of the season.
Major
In light of the ongoing unpopularity of the now-former board members with much of the fanbase this is a move that felt like it needed to happen for some time.
But it has arrived in typically dramatic form and not necessarily in the smoothest manner for the club itself, with the club statement suggesting “interim” appointments will need to be made.
It raises the question as to whether this group move has been sprung on the owner and the club. If the MSP investment and new board members are expected to be imminent it is surely an unnecessary extra hassle to appoint temporary names for a short period.
Supporters have been protesting against the current board since at least the season before last amid the disastrous Rafael Benitez appointment, and the chaotic process that saw him eventually replaced by Frank Lampard.
The level of upset has increased markedly this year however since the board stopped attending home games in January amid reported threats to their safety [Liverpool Echo, 14 January], the “unproven” nature of which have heavily criticised by pundits.
So if the outgoing regime had stayed in place in the face of huge criticism for months, the appearance that they have suddenly gone and left Moshiri on the hop will only further damage their reputations in the eyes of the fans.
It is clear that the situation cannot have been comfortable for them either but after this long the least that could have been hoped for would be a smooth transition.