Everton takeover news: Farhad Moshiri questions raised as £400m-plus Alisher Usmanov records discovery emerges
The discovery of “previously unreported financial records” has raised new questions over Everton owner Farhad Moshiri’s wealth and links to Alisher Usmanov, according to The Guardian.
The newspaper reported via its website on 26 September that the Toffees current owner received over £400million from the billionaire before he was sanctioned, including £270m for selling shares in Usmanov company USM which he appears to have originally acquired as a “gift”.
With an agreement reached between Moshiri and 777 Partners to sell his full stake in the club, according to The Guardian the papers “appear to misalign with Moshiri’s previous statements about how he could continue to fund the Premier League club himself, as well as his promise to provide ongoing financial backing that was crucial in Everton’s auditors signing off its 2022 accounts this year”.
A spokesperson for Usmanov indicated that the takeover could see him paid back by Moshiri with the proceeds, saying: “Mr Moshiri and his companies are indeed indebted to Mr Usmanov and entities affiliated with him. We hope that the debt will be repaid after Mr Moshiri closes the sale of the Everton club, which is now being actively announced in the press.”
Usmanov has “always insisted” he owns none of Everton directly or indirectly, and that Moshiri “made all the decisions”, while the Russian has “consistently stated” he has followed all Premier League rules and broken no laws.
Moshiri for his part maintains the estimated £750m he has invested into the club is his own money and he hasn’t misrepresented his relationship with Usmanov.
A lawyer for the Toffees majority shareholder told The Guardian: “As the owner of Everton FC, Farhad Moshiri has always acted in the best interests of the club and its supporters. He is not controlled by or acting on behalf of Alisher Usmanov (or anyone else). These false claims have been disproved by independent investigations.”
Questions but few answers
It has to be noted that questions being raised is very different to evidence of wrongdoing, but the continued raising of those questions is an exhausting situation and suggests a takeover can’t come soon enough.
Whether 777 Partners will be the ones to take the club off Moshiri’s hands appears to now be up to the regulators, with a long wait now on the cards, and separate questions also raised over the American company.
There appears to be a shift of mood in recent days with regards to Josh Wander and the prospective new owners, after alarm bells seemed to be ringing all over the place around the initial agreement.
If Moshiri has been in charge at Goodison Park since 2018 and yet questions that continue to be raised over his financial arrangements it suggests the complicated nature of whatever the truth is will only likely be uncovered at a high level of authority.
It was less than ideal for Everton to be attached to any doubts of that sort when the current owner was putting money into the club, but now that it appears he is no longer willing to do so then surely the sooner a sale goes through the better.
There doesn’t appear to be a overload of alternative options to 777 at this stage, so if it is to be the Miami-based firm taking over any doubts over their suitability need to prove unfounded for the Toffees’ sake.
In other Everton news, a young first-team ace is now undroppable for Sean Dyche claims a former captain.