Gray now looks to be on way as chaos at Everton continues

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 21: Farhad Moshiri, owner of Everton looks on from the stands prior to the Premier League match between West Ham United and Everton FC at London Stadium on January 21, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 21: Farhad Moshiri, owner of Everton looks on from the stands prior to the Premier League match between West Ham United and Everton FC at London Stadium on January 21, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Just 24 hours ago I wrote that it looked as though Demarai Gray might well be staying at Everton after several deadline day bids for him were rejected by the club.

Moves from Saudi Arabia and possibly also the French league appeared to have fallen through with those clubs not offering the Blues enough money.

Now today, it seems that actually Gray is on his way out of Everton and will be finally heading for the Middle East, where he had always seemed destined to go once the stories of his departure began.

I did intimate in my article that this was still likely to happen and so it seems as reports suggest Gray is getting closer to sealing a switch to Saudi club Al Ettifaq.

As well as all this confusing back and forth about the player’s future (including an unsavoury public spat between Gray and manager Sean Dyche) fresh rumours claim that US investment group 777 Partners are once again ready to put money into the Toffees.

As we all know, MSP Sports Capital appeared to have beaten their American rivals earlier this summer when they entered into an exclusive negotiation with Everton owner Farhad Moshiri.

Following this, MSP Sports agreed to put a significant amount into the club, largely to help fund the completion of the Blues new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock.

There was also talk of further finances to secure a minority stake in Everton, but recently that was ended leaving more uncertainy over the financial future of the club.

Now it appears as though 777 Partners are back in the frame again!

This chaos and confusion is hugely detrimental to the club’s battered reputation, making it ever more of a laughing stock and comes on top of the terrible start to the season with just a solitary point gathered in four matches.

Throughout all of it though there has as usual been a defeaning silence from the powers that be at Goodison Park.

We have come to expect that the owner and others are reluctant to ever spell out publicly what is actually going on at the club they run.

While the first-team seems permanently hobbled by injury, poor form and simple lack of ability, no one knows where the club is going or what exactly the strategy is to turn things around.

At the moment, Everton football club looks more and more to me like a directionless Titanic once again heading for the rocks, both on and off the pitch.