By Callum O'Connell

18th Sep, 2023 | 7:10am

Chris Beesley shares what Everton officials tell him as 777 and MSP takeover twist emerges

Liverpool Echo journalist Chris Beesley has shared an update on the latest 777 Partners takeover twist, as he was told by Everton officials that MSP, or any other interested groups, would not be in a position to scupper the deal.

Beesley followed up by claiming that both sides are confident that the deal will go through before the end of the calendar year despite reports to the contrary.

He also clarified that there is an understanding among fans that Farhad Moshiri could not continue as the owner, but there is a certain amount of hesitation around the takeover due to the impact at other owned clubs.

Asked by beIN SPORTS about the reports claiming the takeover could be on the verge of collapse, Beesley reassured fans, saying: “That was the report, but I’ve been speaking to club officials since and they have played down those reports.

“They’ve said that MSP or any other interested groups like that wouldn’t be in a position to scupper the deal. It’s still got to go before the Premier League approval, but both sides are confident it will be completed by the end of the calendar year.”

He was then asked about the feeling among fans about the takeover and claimed: “I wouldn’t say excitement was the word. There’s an understanding that the current regime couldn’t carry on with Farhad Moshiri…

“There was a feeling that that regime couldn’t go on. There’s a certain amount of hesitance [around the 777 takeover], they’re new to the game. They’ve got a lot of clubs in their portfolio in that short space of time.

“The teams tend to be struggling, they’ve picked up teams who are historic clubs but the teams who have been struggling, and they’ve not really been able to turn these teams around as of yet.”

It’s a waiting game at this point

While fans and any other interested parties are keen to understand what will happen with the deal in the long term, at the moment it is just a waiting game to see whether the takeover can be completed and whether they will gain approval from the relevant authorities.

There have been suggestions that the money may not be in place, particularly due to the record-breaking debts owed by Moshiri for loans taken out for the financing of the Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium. This is one of a number of concerns around the deal.

One of the clubs owned by 777, Standard Liege in Belgium, recently saw their fans demonstrate in the stands against their ownership, claiming the group are destroying the club after a string of poor results at the beginning of the season.

Separately, another concern arose as there was a late £900,000 payment to the British Basketball League [Daily Mail, 14 September], another of their investment partners, which was delayed by over a month resulting in internal talks over their suitability, although the concerns were addressed.

In other Everton news, Sean Dyche has shared a new revelation about his Everton career so far.