Daniel Lewis

Sat 7 October 2023 12:10, UK

Josh Wander is “confident” approval will be granted by the Premier League for 777 Partners to complete its takeover of Everton from Farhad Moshiri.

In Wander’s first public comments to Everton fans since the takeover proposal was announced last month, the American confirmed the process “could take several months” to go through.

The US investment fund has signed a deal to purchase 94.1% of Everton from Moshiri, although many questions have been raised regarding where the funds have been raised.

Writing an open letter on Everton’s official website on Saturday (7 October), 777 co-founder Wander said: “After productive meetings with Kevin Thelwell, Sean Dyche and club officials in the last few weeks, we understand the current position of the club better, and how we can be most helpful to fix some of the underlying issues.

“We need to be clear – there will be no magic wand, nor quick fixes – the path to creating a sustainable business that then translates into on pitch success is laid with hard work and difficult decisions.

“Our background is in building successful businesses; holding and investing in them for the long term. All 777 portfolio companies benefit from a shared service model where they can access best-in-class resources from the holding company.

“That’s the approach we take across all our clubs at 777 – with central shared resources for player recruitment, data analytics, and commercial development.

“The global football business and sports economy are evolving and we have a strong conviction our commercial strategies will give us a competitive advantage and enhance your experience as fans.

“In the weeks since the announcement, our team has had productive dialogue with representatives of official Everton fan groups, and other stakeholders connected to the club. We are actively engaged in a number of regulatory processes with the Premier League and others to approve our purchase from Mr. Moshiri.

“We are confident approval will be granted without issues, but we understand the process could take several months. These processes need to be given time to run their proper course, and should not be conducted through the media.

“It’s not appropriate to speak publicly about these processes at this time, but when the time is right, we will do so.”

Deal close

While many are delighted to potentially see the back of Moshiri, it may well be a case of better than devil you know when it comes to 777 Partners’ proposed takeover.

Much has been written about the investment fund’s controversies at other clubs they are involved with, but this is at least a first step towards being more direct with supporters.

Wander & Co. were present at Goodison Park for last week’s shocking 2-1 loss to Luton Town and will be in attendance once again against Bournemouth on Saturday (7 October).

For all the talk of strengthening other clubs in their portfolio, Standard Liege and Vasco Da Gama supporters may tell you differently.

On what was said in this open letter, it is looking increasingly likely that Everton will have someone new at the top of the club as soon as the end of this year.

Let’s just hope the doomsday scenario that has been presented in some circles is far from what actually happens.

In other Everton news, a journalist has shared an “undermined” verdict on Dyche.