By Dan Carter

15th Nov, 2023 | 9:40pm

777 Partners to provide Everton with off-the-field boost ahead of January transfer window

Everton may be set to receive a boost from 777 Partners ahead of the January transfer window in the form of analyst Mladen Sormaz, according to the Liverpool Echo.

The newspaper reported on its website on Wednesday (15 November) that should the American investment firm’s takeover be approved, the Toffees could have access to a “far deeper well” of data and insights thanks to 777’s director of football analytics, Sormaz.

Both Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell have been open about the use of data in their work at Goodison Park and Sormaz and his team of analysts have worked across all the teams under the 777 umbrella to help them identify and scout transfer targets.

Across the 777 Partners group, there are some “broad parameters” of player “type” with most teams preferring centre-backs who are comfortable in possession, but Sormaz understands that recruitment must be different across all of the firm’s teams in a variety of different leagues.

At the company’s Brazilian club, Vasco de Gamma, the staff have been keen to learn from Sormaz’s approach, with his and his analytical team’s services being “enthusiastically devoured”.

Welcome boost

Everton have been guilty of making a few missteps in the transfer window across the last couple of seasons, with several players that have arrived on Merseyside proving to be duds such as the likes of Davy Klaassen and Jean Phillips-Gbamin.

The strict financial restrictions at Goodison Park have meant that Dyche and Thelwell haven’t been able to afford any financial missteps in the transfer market, with every player brought to Everton needing to have a positive impact to help the Toffees avoid relegation.

Should 777 complete their acquisition of Farhad Moshiri’s 94.1 per cent stake in the Toffees, it will be a huge boost to have Sormaz and his team’s skillset in Everton’s armoury as it should ensure that the Blues are even less likely to misfire in the transfer market.

While plenty of the noise surrounding 777 Partner’s takeover has been negative, the addition of Sormaz to the ranks seems like an incredibly positive factor in the deal. The American firm is widely disliked by Vasco de Gama supporters, but even they are keen to pick the analytical team’s brains.

Maybe the same could well prove to be true at Everton.

In other Everton news, according to one journalist a legal case against 777 Partners has directly cited the Toffees