Everton’s imminent takeover by AS Roma owner Dan Friedkin faces a significant roadblock.
The US billionaire, said to be worth approximately £5 billion, has reached an exclusive agreement with Farhad Moshiri.
Moshiri’s 94% interest in the club is being sold, and both parties are currently negotiating the terms.
Friedkin was one of approximately nine serious candidates to purchase the club.
Among them were MSP Sports Capital and MSD Partners, which are partially funded by Michael Dell.
These organisations, including attempted takeover suitors 777 Partners, are all tied to multi-club structures.
This setup may pose a challenge for Everton in the upcoming premiership season under Friedkin.
Everton will be junior partner in Dan Friedkin’s multi-club network
Friedkin’s ownership of Roma, which he purchased for £533 million, will not prevent him from purchasing Everton.
However, supporters have expressed concerns about Friedkin’s ability to reconcile the competing needs of two prestigious European clubs.
According to Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Friedkin’s portfolio will still include Roma as its senior club.
Significantly, this would likely prevent Everton from competing in the same European competition as Roma.
UEFA is cracking down on multi-club formations just as more investors, particularly from US private equity firms, are flocking to the model.
Nice and Girona, sister clubs of Manchester United and Manchester City, have been granted a temporary licence to play alongside their subsidiaries in Europe.
UEFA will not be as lenient in 2025-26.
Friedkin is unlikely to take Everton to European play in that timeframe, but UEFA’s crackdown limits their future goals.
What are the benefits of the multi-club model for Everton?
While there are challenges, the benefits of the multi-club concept cannot be denied — for the owners at least.
Having more than one club in a nexus allows owners to diversify risk throughout the group, facilitate economic communication, and establishes a pre-made scouting network.
There are also workarounds in terms of recruitment, especially in a post-Brexit climate that employs a points system under which players must obtain essential experience before relocating to the UK.
And recently, several clubs have begun to transferring players among their networks in order to enhance their financial fair play (now Profit and Sustainability Rules, or PSR) stance.
Whether any of these benefits will extend to Everton or whether Friedkin would like to operate the two as distinct businesses entirely.
This raises the question of integrity too. Certain clubs in Man City’s multi-club orbit, for example, have raised issues about losing their identities and operating just as a subsidiary to the mothership.
This will likely be addressed by the Toffees’ excellent supporters trust and fan advisory council.
Read more at: https://sportupdates.co.uk
Leave a Reply