Everton shareholders already upset at Friedkins as Kieran Maguire shares ‘concern’
Dan Friedkin’s takeover at Everton hasn’t come without its controversies after Kieran Maguire highlighted a new concern.
Everton have been on an upward trajectory both on and off the pitch since the Friedkin Group finally succeeded Farhad Moshiri in December, with the re-hiring of David Moyes proving to be a masterstroke.
Moyes has overseen four wins from eight Premier League matches since replacing Sean Dyche in the dugout at Goodison Park, with the Blues unbeaten in their last seven to pull clear of the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, the Toffees are edging closer to moving into their brand new home at Bramley-Moore Dock, with a test event seeing 10,000 Everton fans step through the doors of their new home for the first time.
Kieran Maguire raises Everton ‘concern’ after Friedkin takeover
While Everton’s fortunes have been transformed since the Friedkin Group took charge, with the club able to look forwards rather than back for the first time in a long time, it’s not been entirely rosy at Goodison.
| Everton | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GD | Points |
| Before 19 December 2024 | 15 | 3 | 7 | 6 | –7 | 13 |
| After 19 December 2024 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | +3 | 17 |
Speaking on The Price of Football (March 6), football finance expert Kieran Maguire noted that TFG’s takeover has resulted in Everton’s smaller shareholders losing significant value in their individuals stakes.
Maguire said: “The Friedkin Group has not been in contact with the minority shareholders – who have seen the value of their shares decrease.
“If you flood the number of shares, then any shares you originally held are going to fall in value. I think that’s upset some of the minority shareholders.”
“This was always a concern for me, because an individual Everton share was worth quite a lot of money, but it wasn’t traded on the market so therefore it could be months before somebody sold a share.
“So, what is the fair value of a share in Everton at a time when, before the Friedkin Group came in, there was a chance of the club going into administration?”
Friedkin must resolve Everton shareholders issue
The Toffees appear to be going from strength to strength under Friedkin’s ownership with their form under Moyes propelling them away from Premier League relegation and next season now taking shape.
However, given The Friedkin Group were able to buy the club at a lower price than they’d usually be valued at given the debts incurred under Farhad Moshiri, the shareholder issue must soon be addressed.
The majority of Everton’s smaller shareholders are merely fans of the club who want to see the Toffees succeed as best they can, and have been valuable contributors during the dark days of recent years.
However, with Friedkin’s multi-billion fortune now running things on Merseyside, a restructuring of the Blues’ shares, in order for individual shareholders’ values to rise again, is clearly necessary.
A renaissance under Moyes, coupled with the development and usage of Everton Stadium, have already given The Friedkin Group plenty of good PR, but it’s now up to them to hold up their side of the bargain.