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Journo says 777 Partners should do one 'overdue' thing immediately after Everton takeover completed
Liverpool Echo reporter Chris Beesley has called for 777 Partners to erect a statue of Everton legend Neville Southall in an attempt to appease fans.
Everton announced on Friday [15 September] that they are set to have new owners as Farhad Moshiri has agreed to sell his 94 per cent stake to the American investment fund, with the deal now having to go through various checks.
Despite supporters being glad to see Moshiri depart, questions have been raised about the new backers and if the club may actually be worse off.
Should the takeover go through, 777 Partners will have to go on the charm offensive in an attempt to slowly win over fans.
In the view of Beesley, honouring a figure from the past would be a good step towards achieving that.
In a Liverpool Echo article titled ‘777 Partners should make one overdue addition to new Everton stadium’ [16 September], Beesley said: “While it will take far more than token gestures or gimmicks to convince beleaguered Blues that the Miami-based private investment firm are the right people to take Everton forward, surely one prudent step in the right direction by whoever is custodian of the club by the time the relocation to Bramley-Moore Dock takes place would be a monument to Southall.”
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Charm offensive
There is no doubt that 777 Partners have their work cut out to convince Everton supporters they are the right backers to take the club forward.
On the basis of what fans of other clubs they have a stake in have warned, that does not look like being the case.
Ultimately, the proof will be in the pudding, but that is no good if it ends with the Toffees in the Championship a year from now.
More signings will likely be required in the January window, with that the priority over any further costs being added to the stadium build.
But if 777 Partners are looking to honour a player, then there is no better candidate than Southall.
After all, Dixie Dean – arguably the only greater Evertonian than Southall – already has a statue outside Goodison Park.
As Everton’s all-time appearance maker with 750 to his name, it makes sense for Southall to be forever remembered as we enter a new era.
In other Everton news, Sean Dyche has provided a team news update ahead of the showdown with Arsenal.