Dele Alli injury setback may be financial blessing for Everton as 777 takeover rumbles on
Everton supporters will be hoping that after a chaotic 2023, the new year will give Toffees fans a chance to relax ever so slightly and just enjoy watching their football team.
The last year has brought with it a relegation battle, a manager sacking, a prospective takeover and a points deduction. But as the curtain was drawn on a tumultuous year on the blue half of Merseyside, there was one last bit of bad news for supporters.
Dele Alli confirmed via an Instagram post on New Year’s Eve (31 December) that he had suffered yet another injury setback, just as he was about to return to full first-team training, meaning he will remain sidelined for a little while longer yet.
The update has come as a blow to supporters who were looking forward to seeing the England international back on the playing field in the coming weeks, however, Everton supporters will have to remain patient.
While it is never good to hear that a player has become injured, there is one slight upside for the Toffees as this new injury will likely further delay the activation of a clause in the midfielder’s contract, following his move from Tottenham.
According to football finance expert Kieran Maguire Everton will have to pay Tottenham £10 million “immediately” after the 27-year-old makes his 20th appearance for the Toffees in a deal that cannot be amortised [The Price of Football, 1 January].
So far, Dele has only made seven competitive appearances since he made the switch to Merseyside back in 2022 so even if he was fit it would take several weeks of involvement before Everton had to pay a penny to Spurs.
However, the financial situation at Goodison Park currently is far from positive with the Toffees having very little money to spend in the January transfer window as they await the completion of 777 Partners’ takeover.
The American investment firm had initially planned to complete its acquisition before the end of 2023, but as of 1 January, no conclusion has been reached, however, 777 have received approval from the financial conduct authority [BBC Sport, 9 November].
That is a step towards completing the takeover and could be an indication that Everton will soon have new owners in charge at Goodison.
While it is a shame that Dele has been ruled out through injury, this latest setback may allow the Toffees time to have an owner capable of paying Tottenham what they’re owed, without risking the financial future of the football club.
In other Everton news, Paul Brown has offered his verdict on a potential Goodison Park switch for Kalvin Phillips this January