By Daniel Lewis

15th Sep, 2023 | 3:40pm

Philippe Auclair stunned by 'insane' Everton takeover development on Friday

Respected journalist Philippe Auclair says it is “insane” that Everton are close to being taken over by 777 Partners.

Everton confirmed on Friday [15 September] that the long-awaited takeover is almost finalised after Farhad Moshiri agreed to sell his 94% stake to the American investment fund.

The deal must first be signed off by the Premier League, before a likely completion date in the final quarter of 2023 [Paul Joyce].

Reacting to the latest development, Guardian reporter Auclair posted on Twitter [15 September]: “To anyone who knows the situation of the club – and of 777 Partners – this is insane.

“The signing of an agreement is not the same as a sale going through, however, and there are a number of obstacles to be overcome if this is to go through.”

Worse to come

Moshiri moving on from Goodison Park is not a bad thing – or at least it wasn’t supposed to be – but in this instance it may well be a case of better the devil you know.

777 Partner’s have received plenty of negative press since it first emerged they were interested in investing in Everton, not least from one of the other clubs they have on their books in Standard Liege.

That is not to mention the previous criminal charges against the investment fund’s co-owner Josh Wander.

If Everton supporters thought things were bad before, then they may soon get a whole lot worse.

Should 777 Partner’s prove to the Premier League that they are fit and proper to take majority ownership of the Toffees, Auclair may well get the chance to say “told you so” in the not-too-distant future.

In other Everton news, Paul Joyce has provided more details on the takeover.