Goodison News Speaking to Ian Darke

Sun 2 March 2025 18:10, UK

Everton are undergoing a major transition in their history with various elements of the Toffees’ setup transforming over the course of this year.

The Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium move is just months away with only five games left at Goodison Park before the doors are locked for good.

Now The Friedkin Group have got their feet under the table having completed the takeover deal from Farhad Moshiri back in December, they have wasted not a second of time on reshuffling the key custodians on Merseyside.

Angus Kinnear pursuit by Everton analysed

Everton are very interested by the potential of bringing Angus Kinnear into a directorial role from his CEO position at Leeds United.

Kinnear is on the verge of a second promotion to the Premier League since joining Leeds from West Ham United, where he was one of the key figures to oversee the move from Upton Park to the London Stadium in 2016.

TV commentator Ian Darke, speaking exclusively to Goodison News, is encouraged by the potential appointment of Kinnear by Friedkin given the stadium move must be correctly managed.

“It sounds like Kinnear would certainly be a good appointment based on criteria such as the stadium move,” Darke said.

“Particularly the experiences at West Ham with the London Stadium, which was fraught with all kinds of difficulties in terms of the atmosphere et cetera, we’ll see how that develops.

“There’s a different mood at Everton now, so it would appear as good a time as any to join.”

Elsewhere, Kevin Thelwell is expected to depart at the end of this season, with the Friedkins reportedly favouring an “overlord” approach of a football director (Alan Nixon via Patreon) to oversee their entire sporting network, comprising both Everton and Roma.

Moyes and his squad must remain focused on the football

Away from off-field matters, Everton are performing excellently on the pitch and are now unbeaten in seven Premier League games.

Under David Moyes, the Toffees have been a different beast almost reminiscent of the strong sides Goodison Park witnessed throughout the 2000s under the Scotsman in his 11-year inaugural reign.

While plenty of developments appear to be unfolding upstairs in the boardroom as the Friedkins essentially customise the running of the new acquisition to their football empire, Moyes and his squad must remain tunnel-visioned to the task at hand.

Everton have surely now done enough to comfortably stay in the Premier League, which was always a non-negotiable prerequisite before making the stadium move. To have been relegated in that process would have been a disaster to set the Toffees back years, football-wise and certainly financially.

It’s down to the manager and his men in blue to deliver some more final memories of the Old Lady in the coming months, before a new era officially begins.