Everton takeover: 777 Partners ‘not out of the picture’ – Keith Wyness
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness has insisted 777 Partners are “not out of the picture” in the fight to buy the Merseysiders.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – claimed the US-based firm “are a player in the game” after pumping £200million into the club.
777 agreed to acquire Everton owner Farhad Moshiri’s 94.1% stake in the club for £500million last September, but the deal is yet to be approved by the Premier League.
The Miami-based group recently sent a delayed payment of £16million for the day-to-day operational costs, taking the total the company has loaned the club to more than £200million.
Meanwhile, Everton’s fan advisory board published a statement on Wednesday (May 8) calling on 777 to abandon their attempts to buy the club.
777 takeover bid not over despite Everton fan outrage, says Wyness
But Wyness claimed 777 now “have a seat at the table” following their lending to the Toffees.
He told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “777 have put in £200million so far.
“The Premier League are interested to know where that has come from.
“It seems there are big problems in their corporate structure which means the pipeline of cash could be turned off.
“Then again, if they can find an alternative source of funds – of course, they could end up taking over.
“These things can move quickly in the world of finance.
“No one is out of the picture, and 777 certainly have a seat at the table.
“They’ve got £200million of debt in the club, so they’re a player in this game who should be respected.”
In other news, Chelsea set sights on signing Everton star in three-player raid.
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