Dan Friedkin to make Everton prioritisation decision amid UEFA rules concern
Dan Friedkin could be forced to decide whether to prioritise Everton or Roma going forward.
This is according to former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider that UEFA’s multi-club rules could see Everton relegated to the Europa Conference League next season if both sides qualify for the Europa League.
Currently, the Toffees are eighth in the Premier League and well within the race for European football next season.
Stefan Borson: Multi-club rules could pose issue for Everton
Multi-club issues have been a growing problem in the Premier League in recent years.
This season, Crystal Palace saw themselves relegated to the Europa Conference League due to John Textor owning a stake in both the Eagles and Lyon.
If two clubs qualify for the same competition and are under the same ownership, whoever finishes highest gets to keep their place in the European tournament.
Given Roma’s excellent campaign to date, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson has not ruled out Everton following Palace’s footsteps and being relegated to the Conference League next campaign due to Friedkin’s ownership of both the Toffees and Roma.
He said: “There is the issue, I’ve spoken about before, around prioritisation, particularly in Europe, and particularly with Everton doing so well.
“What’s going to happen with the UEFA situation, and who’s going to get priority from a funding perspective, but also in terms of the competitions.
“We should see in the next couple of weeks how teams are potentially affected by the multi-club rules how they choose to deal with it. By 1 March, if you remember from the Crystal Palace situation and also the confirmations that were sent around to all the clubs in December, they do need to address that situation.
“And so that’s going to have to happen over the next two weeks because there is a risk at the moment, that Everton could find themselves in European competition and Roma.
What a wholesome…nevermind. 😅 pic.twitter.com/sBr0SbncAb
— Everton (@Everton) February 21, 2026
“You wouldn’t want the situation where one of the clubs inadvertently got relegated out of a tournament that they felt that they deserved.
“Everton are most at risk because priority is going to go to the team that finishes higher up. Just look at the lead table now in Serie A, Roma are fourth, but they’re only three points off third.
“So the likelihood is that Roma are going to finish higher than Everton, which is going to mean that they’re going to be the priority club.
“If they didn’t get Champions League, you would think Everton have got no chance of Champions League. But if Roma inadvertently got Europa League, it’s not impossible that Everton could also be in the Europa League and that would relegate Everton down a competition unless they’ve taken proper provision.
“You’ve got to be careful really, and they’re probably at least a year ahead of expectation in terms of it being an issue.
“So it’s probably come to they put some focus on it earlier than they thought they had to, just because Everton are doing relatively well.”
What are Everton’s odds of qualifying for the Europa League?
According to Opta on 21 February, Everton currently have a 0.94 per cent chance of qualifying for the Europa League.
However, over the coming weeks, these odds are likely to increase further.
England are all but certain to receive a fifth Champions League spot this season, meaning that the Europa League spot falls to sixth place in the Premier League.
Depending on the winner of the FA Cup, whoever finishes in seventh may also be awarded a Europa League spot, increasing Everton’s chances further.
Nevertheless, this will not matter unless the Toffees continue their fine form under David Moyes, and remain competitive in the Premier League.
To learn more about Everton and Dan Friedkin, look to our expert team on Goodison News.