Everton owners bankroll £233m injection – official documents filed
Everton have received a £233million injection from their owners in the form of a new share issue, sources have told Football Insider.
A Companies House submission published on Wednesday (8 January), backdated to 18 December, revealed £233million was paid into the Merseyside giants for more than 1.3 million shares.
Finance expert Kieran Maguire revealed the injection from The Friedkin Group (TFG) – Everton’s new owners – will likely go towards repaying existing loans and finishing off the stadium development.
The Texas-based company, which is spearheaded by Dan Friedkin, was confirmed as the new owners at Goodison Park on 19 December.
Friedkin acquired a 99.5 per cent stake in the club after bringing to an end Farhad Moshiri’s eight-year spell on Merseyside.
Football Insider revealed on 26 December the American billionaire is likely to take control of the remaining Everton shares over the next few months as part of a squeeze-out process.
The Companies House submission on Wednesday also revealed Moshiri has converted almost £451million worth of loans into 150,250 shares, which were acquired by TFG as part of the takeover deal.
Everton want to raise debt to refinance new stadium
Finance expert Stefan Borson told Football Insider Friedkin has likely paid around £700million to purchase the club when the price of the shares and taking on the debt are factored in.
Bloomberg reported on 7 January JPMorgan Chase & Co. is speaking to institutional investors about raising more than £300million of debt to support a stadium refinancing for Everton.
The Merseysiders are set to make the move from Goodison into their new £750million stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock ahead of next season.
Everton have confirmed they will host three test events at the 52,888-seater facility over the coming months, with 10,000 fans set to attend an Under-18s friendly on 17 February.
Although things appear to be coming together off the pitch for the club, their on-field results haven’t improved lately.
That has led to Friedkin making the decision to sack manager Sean Dyche, with Everton currently sitting 16th in the Premier League table, just one point above third-bottom Ipswich Town after 19 games.
In other news, Jose Mourinho in for Sean Dyche: Sky Sports reporter shares Everton update.
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