Everton fans left in the dark as takeover talks stall
Takeover talks between Everton owner Farhad Moshiri and the US consortium fronted by Peter Kenyon have apparently broken down. So, where does this leave us now?
There are confusing messages coming from the two camps, with the owner claiming the period of exclusivity has ended with no agreement and so the deal is basically dead. Meanwhile, the US group are indicating they are still talking to Moshiri about taking control of Everton!
Such uncertainly and lack of clarity seems so typical of this football club. Things appeared to be moving in a clear, discernable direction, now progress has stalled and everyone is left with uncertainly about what exactly is happening.
Momentum seemed to have been created behind this deal over the past few weeks. It looked as though it might well happen before the month was out with stories that the US group wanted things basically wrapped up by the time the Blues’ landed in America for their pre-season tour.
Obviously, this was just a rumour that may or may not have had any solid foundation to it. But, it was coming from reasonably reliable sources and followed other claims that had become public and supposedly came from those close to the US consortium.
I’m not saying this particular group of potential owners and investors was necessarily the right one for the Toffees’ going forward, but they did seem very determined to do a deal.
However, if the current owner isn’t willing to continue talking to them then such a deal doesn’t look likely does it?
Now, we’re back to square one it seems and everyone is in the dark about what on earth is going to happen next.
I think, as I suspect many supporters do, that it would be a very good outcome for the club to have new owners as the Moshiri era has certainly not been a success.
It’s been charaterised by massive and largely wasted spending on players and a succession of managers who have come and gone, no clear sense of football direction or strategy and very poor communication between the club hierachy and the fans.
That failure has left Everton with horrendous debt and a squad full of underachieving players many of whom are on huge wages.
All this is just the latest irritating and frustrating situation that seems to underline the chaotic way this club is run. It’s also concerning because as so often with Everton’s owner, supporters are left with no information and all we have is speculation and rumour.
It’s been hard enough for the Blues’ to strengthen this summer with very little money to spend and having just been through a terrible season that of course makes the Toffees’ a much less attractive potential destination for any new players.
On top of all that, the club have been forced to sell arguably their best outfield player in Richarlison to avoid a potentially catastrophic outcome – including a possible points deduction next season – and now this story emerges.
How much more bad news and uncertainty do Evertonians have to put up with? At this point I’d take basically anyone else as owners.
If the proposed deal is over then Moshiri should come out and clarify what is going on, what the next moves might be and do so quickly.
What will happen next then? Is that it for any potential takeover, or might other supposedly interested parties now step up their interest in buying the club? As so often we the fans are left completely clueless about what the future holds.