Dan Friedkin to spark Everton transfer market and contract activity as takeover nears
Dan Friedkin’s takeover at Everton is expected to lead to investment in the January transfer window, i News reports.
According to Mark Douglas for the outlet’s website on 9 October there is also set to be “fresh impetus” behind contract negotiations once the Roma chiefs arrive.
The Americans are said to have an eye on having their deal ratified and completed by the end of November, with the new ownership to bring action in the transfer market and in terms of players already at Goodison Park.
However, with Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell both on deals that expire in the summer and decisions not yet made on their futures “the more immediate, noticeable impact may be off the field at first”.
Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell uncertain at Everton
For the past couple of years so much of the personnel activity on and off the pitch has amounted to doing only what had to be done in straightened circumstances so it will be welcome for the club to start operating more normally.
It has been speculated that the reason Friedkin suddenly re-emerged in the takeover picture and agreed a deal ahead of John Textor was because he has seen the need to strengthen in the January transfer window [Matt Slater, 27 September].
There isn’t expected to be a huge amount of leeway to do so from a PSR perspective [The Price of Football, 26 September] but it looks like whatever room to work with will be used.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is clearly the most pressing contract question in the squad, with the striker having held off signing a new deal throughout the summer thanks to uncertainty over the ownership situation [The Times, 19 July], and then rejected the chance to reopen negotiations last month [i News, 4 October].
He can begin to speak to foreign clubs in January about a pre-contract to leave for nothing next summer so there won’t be much time between TFG coming in and that threat becoming real.
In terms of Dyche and Thelwell, the manager may be allowed to see out his own deal until the summer unless results are dreadful over the next few weeks, but it is very difficult to see the former Burnley boss kept him to be the face of the new era.
A big-name appointment in the not-too-distant future seems likely, but Thelwell may be safer in his behind-the-scenes role if Friedkin and company decide he’s done a reasonable job in difficult circumstances.
In other Everton news, the Toffees are looking at signing a new right-back as reduced offers are set to be listened to.
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