By Dan Carter

17th Sep, 2023 | 1:10pm

BBC pundit rages at 'embarrassing' Everton as he wants Middle-Eastern takeover twist at Goodison Park

Kevin Ratcliffe has said that he would prefer Everton to be taken over by Middle-Eastern owners to end an “embarrassing” period at Goodison Park.

After a period of off-the-pitch uncertainty at Goodison Park, it seems that Farhad Moshiri is set to sell his 94 per cent stake in the Toffees, with American investment company 777 Partners taking over the ownership of Sean Dyche’s side, if and when they are approved by the Premier League.

But BBC pundit and one of the Toffees’ most successful captains, Ratcliffe, has been left in a rage over the lack of interest from companies elsewhere in the world as he would prefer a new “sheikh” owner rather than American investment.

Quoted in the print edition of the Sunday People (17 September, page 56) he said: “Why is there no Middle East interest in the club or even interest from Asia? Everton is still a huge club with a fantastic history. Right now we need a huge injection of money but also stability.

“Everton fans must look at Manchester City with envy. Everton are just as big a club and I just wish we had our own sheikh to make a similar impact because under Farhad Moshiri it’s been rudderless. The way things are going Everton will have the best ground in the Championship.

“It’s embarrassing.”

Envy

The truth of the Premier League is that 19 clubs are envious of the wealth possessed by Manchester City and their owners and should you ask any fanbase in England they likely feel as though they deserve that sort of spending power.

Everton need a change of ownership after what has been a disastrous few years for the Toffees that as Ratcliffe says, feels destined to end in relegation at some point with each passing season a chance to just further delay the inevitable.

Whether or not 777 represents a huge shift in prospects for the Toffees remains to be seen, but some have raised questions over the fortunes of their other teams across the globe, with very few thriving since coming under the 777 umbrella.

However, in the current climate there won’t be many Middle-Eastern owners particularly interested in investing billions of pounds into a team that are languishing around the relegation places with a potential points deduction looming.

While it would be an exciting prospect for all Evertonians, it just isn’t going to happen.

In other Everton news, the Toffees are reportedly interested in signing a former Ligue 1 winner