Everton will end up with 'better owner' than Amanda Staveley - Keith Wyness
Everton will be able to find a "better solution" to their ownership issues than Amanda Staveley in the coming months.
That is according to former Toffees chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that The Friedkin Group have done the role that was needed of them when they bought the club in 2024.
Recent reports have outlined that TFG and Staveley were the final two contenders when it came to the race to take over the club back then, with Staveley even producing detailed plans to transform the footballing operations.
Wyness believes that TFG were the right option at the time, as the club needed stability more than Staveley's ambitious plans.
The Scottish businessman suggested that while Staveley would be a perfectly good owner for his former club, the Friedkins' work has now helped them emerge on the radar for more exciting candidates.
The Americans are currently trying to find a minority investor at Everton, and could even potentially consider a full sale of the club.
TFG battle has played out well for Everton
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that TFG winning the race for the 2024 takeover has played out well for Everton.
He feels that while Staveley's hands-on approach would still have worked, the financial "muscle" the Friedkins have provided was very much needed.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, he explained why his hopes are now higher than Staveley for the Toffees' next owners.
"Amanda normally would come with a pretty complex financial mixture of investors and an offer. That's not what it needed at the time. It needed a TFG to come in with muscle and to stabilise the financial position," he said.
"The argument for Amanda would have been, yes, she would have been more involved, more hands-on on the football side. We probably wouldn't have had the transfer window situation that we just had at Everton.
"I'm coming down on the side that TFG were the right owners, and I think that their situation will lead us on to the better owner and probably a better solution than even Amanda. Although she's a very credible owner, and I have nothing but good words to say.
"I would still say that we needed that financial muscle and strength to stabilise after the Mishiri period, and that's what TFG gave us.
"Amanda cares, and her heart's in the right place for what that's worth. But I think Everton will get to a better solution than Amanda with the next group."
'Significant' reduction to Burnley compensation 'nailed on'
Wyness previously told Football Insider earlier this week that it is "nailed on" that Everton secure a "significant" reduction to their compensation payment to Burnley.
The Toffees have appointed Laurence Rabinowitz KC to handle their January appeal, the same lawyer who successfully got their points deduction reduced back in 2024.
Wyness believes that Rabinowitz has ample evidence to get Everton's compensation payment cut, although he expects a full move to overturn the punishment to be unlikely.
Burnley successfully argued that Everton's financial breaches back in 2021-22 contributed to their relegation, with the Toffees set to pay them £35million in compensation.