Dan Carter

Wed 25 October 2023 20:10, UK

It feels as though everything that could be going wrong off of the field at Everton is currently going wrong as the Toffees’ future hangs in the balance.

After a few weeks of things feeling as though they were heading in the right direction after it was revealed that 777 Partners had agreed on a deal to acquire Farhad Moshiri’s 94.1 per cent stake in the club, things have taken a turn for the worse.

While that deal still has a very real chance of happening, with the American firm waiting for the Premier League, the FA and the Financial Conduct Authority to decide whether or not they are proper owners.

But 777’s interest could be impacted by the latest news coming out of Goodison Park, with reports emerging that the Premier League have asked for the Toffees to receive a 12-point deduction if found guilty of breaking the league’s financial fair play rules [The Telegraph, 25 October].

While no punishment is set in stone as of yet, if the independent panel agree that Sean Dyche’s side deserves what would be a Premier League record deduction, it would more than likely see the Toffees fall to the bottom of the Premier League and make avoiding relegation almost impossible.

One of the primary reasons 777 have decided to attempt to take over Everton is because of the lucrative nature of the Premier League, where currently every club in England’s top-flight receive £31.8 million annually from domestic TV rights holders and a further £1.2 million when shown on a live broadcast [Liverpool Echo, 24 October].

That total package paid to the league comes in at £5billion and with the number of games broadcast live expected to climb from 200 matches to 270 a season, that figure will only rise when the Premier League sell the rights for the period between 2025 and 2029.

777 Partners, like many owners will want a piece of that pie and taking over Everton, a steady and secure top-flight side who are in desperate need of investment represents a perfect opportunity to get in on the world’s richest league.

But a 12-point deduction and the increased likelihood of relegation would see the Toffees and in turn 777 Partners miss out on that £5billion package as the money afforded to Championship sides for broadcast rights is nowhere the amount paid in the Premier League.

The American firm will have other reasons for deciding to take over Everton, but if their primary goal is to try and acquire the ownership of a Premier League club to attempt to profit from its revenue, the Toffees may not be the right team to target.

It will be interesting to see what decision the independent commission makes in the coming weeks, with an outcome expected before the end of the year and it will also be intriguing whether or not it changes how 777 continues its takeover bid.

In other Everton news, Carlton Palmer has suggested that the Toffees make a January move for a Leeds star