Kieran Maguire reacts to ‘farcical’ Everton Farhad Moshiri and Premier League situation
Kieran Maguire labelled the takeover impasse involving Everton, 777 Partners, Farhad Moshiri and the Premier League as “farcical”.
The football finance expert, speaking on The Price of Football podcast (16 May), explained the current difficulty in the Toffees finding a new third party who can satisfy the league’s owners and directors tests, with Moshiri firmly set on 777 taking over the club.
He says the stand-off between all parties means there is a risk of the situation continuing to drag on.
Maguire said: “The Premier League can say to 777 that they have failed to satisfy the owners and directors test.
“What they can’t do is say to Farhad Moshiri ‘you cannot have them as the preferred bidder. You can have them as the preferred bidder as long as you want, but we’re not going to let them in’.
“We’ve got this farcical situation of the ownership bid just dragging on.”
Can 777 Partners still buy Everton?
Everton fans around the world are finding out the hard way that the number seven is anything but lucky at the moment, with talks between the Premier League and US investment firm going nowhere.
Amidst choppy waters at two of the other 777-owned football clubs, Standard Liege and Vasco da Gama, the Miami-based group’s chances of taking charge at Goodison Park are hanging by a thread.
Moshiri’s insistence that 777 are his preferred buyers is only muddying the waters and slowing the development of a solution that will actually satisfy the Premier League, with third parties such as MSP Capital, Andy Bell and George Downing all waiting in the wings.
If the deadlock between the Premier League, Moshiri and 777 is to finally be broken, Toffees fans may be able to see light at the end of the tunnel, but the current Everton owner’s unwillingness to see beyond the latter’s ailing takeover bid could leave the club in the lurch for quite some time yet.
In other Everton news, Toffees fan and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has made a plea to Moshiri live on air .
For more Everton news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.