Keith Wyness reveals Everton trigger that could secure stadium redevelopment
Everton could potentially embark on a project to increase the capacity of the Hill Dickinson Stadium within the next four years.
That is according to former Toffees chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the next owners of the club will seriously consider an upgrade.
This comes amid the news that the Friedkin Group are looking to sell the club in the coming months, despite only being at the helm since 2024.
Wyness believes that an expansion to the new stadium could be in the pipeline for his former club in the coming years, but feels they will need regular European football for it to become a reality.
He also pointed out that Everton would require bigger demand for their season tickets, in order to ensure that the increased capacity had a strong chance of being met most weeks.
Despite those issues, the Scottish businessman remains optimistic that a capacity boost may only be a few years away.
Everton could embark on 'very expensive fix'
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 – is in no doubt that increasing the capacity of the Hill Dickinson Stadium would require a "very expensive engineering fix."
The ground is located right in the heart of Bramley Moore Dock, and there is limited space for the boundaries of the stadium to be expanded.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why it is a project for Everton's next owners to keep an eye on.
"First of all, is the demand there as well? You've got to see a full demand of sold-out hospitality and a waiting list for hospitality. You've got to see a bigger demand on the season ticket list," he said.
"I'm not convinced all those are really in place yet. And I think it would be three or four seasons, probably under a new ownership, if they were to really get things moving and motoring.
"And you've got to have the club challenging for Europe consistently. Then you might see somebody addressing that sort of issue because it'll be a very expensive engineering fix.
"Hopefully it can be done, and engineering keeps on improving, and technology keeps on improving, but it is a very constrained site, and I don't see anything happening in the short term."
Everton ace 'guaranteed major problems' after FA punishment
Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson told Football Insider on Saturday that the FA were right to punish Everton youngster Martin Sherif over a series of bets he was involved in.
The 20-year-old has been fined £5,000 for his role in the 61 bets, but crucially avoided a footballing punishment as he did not place them himself.
Borson is adamant that footballers cannot be seen anywhere near gambling, as it is "guaranteed" to cause "major problems" for them at some stage of their career.
The football finance expert now feels that Sherif needs to be shown support from Everton in the coming years, to ensure that he doesn't commit a similar wrongdoing in future.