Tony Bellew grateful for Friedkin Group at Everton after what's happened with 777 Partners
Tony Bellew can't badmouth The Friedkin Group at Everton.
Plenty of criticism surrounded the American owners at the Toffees after a disastrous end to the transfer window.
Dan Friedkin and Co. have now decided to put the Blues up for sale and are willing to relinquish control if they find the right individual or group to take the club forward.
Fans aren't surprised to see TFG pulling back from Hill Dickinson Stadium after how they've operated in recent months.
The American owners came in and stabilised the club financially after taking over from Farhad Moshiri.
While the Friedkins have made errors at the Merseyside outfit, things could've been worse in L3.
Everton would've been no more under 777 Partners
In 2023, 777 Partners could've taken over Everton but failed to meet the Premier League's standards for approval, among other things.
The company are now bankrupt, and co-founder Josh Wander is set to plead guilty to fraud charges.
Bellew is grateful that TFG replaced Farhad Moshiri rather than 777, after seeing what's happening to them.
The former WBC cruiserweight champion believes that had Wander been in charge of the Merseyside outfit, they wouldn't exist anymore.
Speaking on Outside the Box Pod on 15 October, Bellew said, "It was [TFG] or 777. And if that 777 had got a hold of us - have you seen what has happened to that company recently? It's all over the place.
"There are all kinds of people doing all kinds of mad things. People on charges - all kinds of stuff. Everton Football Club would've been no more if we had fallen into their hands.
"Be very careful what you wish for. [TFG] are a solid consortium. They know football. They're very good at business.
"They've realised that with a fanbase like ours, as loud and passionate as ours, it's not really going to go that way. You're not going to sell some of our assets because we just don't want that. But I'm very grateful."
What potential next owners must do first at Hill Dickinson Stadium
Everton are in for an uncertain few months as TFG look at prospective buyers.
Fans are concerned whether the Friedkins will want to invest in the team in January now that they've signalled their intention to leave.
What has made the American owners a bit unpopular in L3 is their lack of appetite to spend adequately in transfer windows.
Whoever takes control at Hill Dickinson Stadium next will need to have a proper recruitment strategy in place.
However, the first thing that surely needs to be decided is David Moyes' future, and extending his contract beyond this season would be the right thing.