Everton takeover: Keith Wyness drops intriguing verdict on Saudi bid
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness has claimed the widely-reported Saudi-backed offer for the club is “hardly a strong bid”.
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 – suggested that with 15,000 Saudi royals, it could be telling that the one interested in buying the Merseysiders has remained nameless.
According to the BBC (10 June), a consortium of international investors, including a member of the Saudi royal family, has made a £400million offer to buy Everton.
It is claimed London-based businessman and lawyer Vatche Manoukian is leading the bid alongside families with a high-net worth from the United States.
They see Everton as a “sleeping giant” of English football with potential to secure a place “at the top of world football again” through the new stadium being built on Bramley-Moore Dock.
Everton fans must ‘use caution’ after new verdict on Saudi-backed bid
Interested parties now have the opportunity to register their interest and secure a period of exclusivity after US-based investors 777 Partners were unable to buy Farhad Moshiri’s majority stake in the club.
Wyness told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “It has been a really interesting last few days. People are emerging from the shadows and claiming to have put bids in for Everton.
“I would urge people to use caution. People may not realise, but there are about 15,000 Saudi royals.
“Lots of them don’t have access to serious amounts of money, so a lot will depend on who that is – and why they were not named, if they’re serious.
“That is Mr Manoukian’s group, and certainly his father had access to serious wealth. But we’ll have to see where the real names are.
“It’s claimed they have put forward an agenda to modernise the club.
“It’s hardly a strong bid, in my view, but it’s interesting. Let’s just wait and see how it comes out, but we need more information.”
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