Everton could be hit with ‘huge strain’ on finances as £550m takeover news emerges
Football finance expert Dan Plumley has fired Everton a new relegation warning after recent takeover developments at Goodison Park.
The Friedkin Group have agreed a historic deal to acquire Farhad Moshiri’s controlling stake in the Toffees, with reports suggesting the new owners could wipe the Blues’ debt with £550million of equity investment [Alan Myers, 23 September].
Although Plumley insists that would be a “significant” boost to the Toffees, he admits that Sean Dyche’s side have to be in the Premier League to get the most out of their prospective new owners.
“It’s big news if that is to be the case,” Plumley exclusively told Goodison News.
“Debt itself is not necessarily a bad thing, being able to service it is usually the problem, but if you’ve not got any debt then it’s even better.
“If there are positions in play to start that stadium and wipe off some of that debt then that is significant.
“I’ve said this time and time again with Everton though, a big factor in all of this is their ability to stay in the Premier League.
“While it’s not the be-all and end-all, it does put a huge strain on the finances and what would happen in the next couple of years if they were to be relegated.
“Luckily for the club, they’ve managed to avoid that for the last two or three seasons but all of this potential and all of this forward positivity linked to a new takeover is easier to activate and start to kick on if Everton are a Premier League club.
“That will be really important in the eyes of the new owners. I imagine they’ll be keen to retain their Premier League status and carry on in that league for the future.”
When will the Friedkin Group complete their Everton takeover at Goodison Park?
Everton fans have been boosted by the announcement that the Friedkins have agreed a deal with Moshiri, but that excitement will be shortlived if the Toffees don’t manage to avoid the drop this term.
While the start to the Premier League season has been far from ideal, the Blues have shown that they’re capable of picking up points consistently.
Hopefully, they’ll come out of the blocks firing after the October international break.
In other Everton news, the Toffees could reignite their interest in one Newcastle man during the January transfer window
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