Everton takeover: Keith Wyness fears top buyer blocked from agreeing deal
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness believes the club are heading for a “stronger future” under 777 Partners but fears some top buyers could have been blocked by the never-ending takeover saga.
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 takeover of the club will be completed despite the issues.
The US investment firm agreed to buy Farhad Moshiri’s 94.1 per cent stake for £500million in September, but funding issues have prevented completion of the takeover at Goodison.
Sources told Football Insider on Sunday (21 April) that the group could buy the Merseyside club for a cheaper price if they are relegated this season.
Everton heading in right direction under 777 – Wyness
But Premier League relegation fears have been eased by Sean Dyche and his players after back-to-back wins.
The Toffees defeated relegation rivals Nottingham Forest on Sunday and fierce rivals Liverpool on Wednesday (24 April), winning both matches 2-0.
“It seems to be that they do deserve some credit for the amount of money they have put into running the club at the moment,” he told the Inside Track podcast.
“However, if that has been at the cost of precluding other potentially stronger buyers coming in, then it will have been dangerous.
“Only Mr Moshiri will know the answers to those sorts of questions as to what could have been done.
“It’s going to be hard to see how that sort of short-term debt that they have built up again has been worth this wait of such a time that it is now bringing the whole club into jeopardy.
“We’ve got to see by the end. We’re still not there, obviously the Premier League have given them some time to extend, to fulfil these requirements.
“We have to hope that something around that is done, that there is some sort of consortium of the lenders to get together, and avoid the club walking off the precipice.
“I still believe it can be done and that Everton should go on to a stronger future.”
In other news, Everton could enter administration after new development.
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