Kieran Maguire cites Alisher Usmanov as £100m Everton deal on the cards
MSP Sports Capital will not be guaranteed power at board level if they buy a minority stake in Everton – and they only need to look at former Toffees benefactor Alisher Usmanov to see that.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the private equity firm’s reported interest in investing in Everton.
Per Bloomberg last Wednesday (25 January), the American company could buy up to 20 per cent of Farhad Moshiri’s shares in the club.
They have held preliminary talks with the British-Iranian billionaire, who is seeking investment to help fund the £760million construction of Everton’s soon-to-be new home at Bramley-Moore Dock.
He is understood to value the club at £500m, meaning a 20 per cent stake could cost MSP up to £100m in total.
Part of the reason Moshiri needs external investment is because of the enforced withdrawal of Alisher Usmanov, whose various sponsorship deals with the club were cut short after he was sanctioned by the UK government last March.
Maguire used the example of Usmanov at Arsenal to illustrate why MSP will not necessarily have a say in operational matters if they buy into Everton.
“Owning shares does not necessarily entail having power,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“As we saw with Usmanov owning a third of Arsenal, having share representation does not guarantee board representation.
“Usmanov was never able to get onto the board at Arsenal, much to his frustration.
“Therefore, if MSP Capital do acquire 20 per cent of Everton, it doesn’t mean that they will be involved in decision-making in terms of executive power.
“It could be tht they are effectively a sleeping investor and are happy to use the knowledge of the existing board to make decisions.
In other news, Gabby Agbonlahor claims Everton have “accepted the inevitable” after £28.5m transfer twist.