Eagle Football partners don’t want Everton takeover as John Textor reacts to ‘idle gossip’
John Textor has rejected “idle gossip” after claims were made about why he is now trying to buy Everton separately from his Eagle Football company, The Athletic reports.
According to Matt Slater for the outlet’s website on 13 September multiple sources indicated the American’s partners in his holding company don’t want to buy the Toffees because they are concerned the group is already “overstretched”.
They are said to be “more worried about getting their money back than taking on another difficult project”, explaining why Textor confirmed in a press conference this week that his prospective Everton takeover is being tackled by him and new partners [Le Progres, 11 September].
Textor told The Athletic that his relationships within Eagle Football are “solid” and dismissed the “gossip”.
However, Slater highlighted the confusion caused by three years of plans to take the company public with an English club at the heart, having also attempted to buy QPR two months ago, when the Everton takeover is now a side project.
Everton takeover faces Crystal Palace hurdle
Buying the Toffees is far from a simple prospect for any buyer but it looks all the more complicated for Textor.
His 45-per cent share of Crystal Palace is the biggest issue at present as he must sell there first, but has a pair of offers which could provide a solution [Sky News, 26 August].
It certainly seems like his designs on Everton are a moveable feast if he attempted to buy out his fellow Palace owners [JohnTextor.org, 22 August] and investigated a deal at QPR, while plans to float Eagle Football on the New York Stock Exchange are closing in.
Textor appears to be attracting significant backing for his takeover at Goodison Park, with Aliya Capital Partners involved and Alexander Bafer interested regardless of what his Eagle Football partners feel [Bloomberg, 13 September], so from a Toffees point of view it may even be better for the club to be kept separate.
Suggestions of a multi-club ownership group being overstretched financially as their main man embarks on a bid to replace Farhad Moshiri will conjure unwelcome memories of 777 Partners’ doomed attempt last term.
But Textor, thankfully, doesn’t appear to be such a concerning prospect if he can get this deal over the line, and despite significant doubts currently from the likes of Slater and The Esk (12 September) there do appear to be developments in the right direction.
In other Everton news, an update has emerged on Premier League approval for Textor’s takeover.
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