Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness has insisted he is not concerned about the allegations surrounding John Textor’s links to wealthy Russian businessmen.
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 he still believes the American is the “real deal” as he looks to complete an Everton takeover.
O’Rourke: Huge Everton takeover update today
Textor has entered a period of exclusivity to buy owner Farhad Moshiri’s 94.1-per-cent stake at Goodison Park.
But one complication is the 58-year-old’s 45-per-cent stake in Crystal Palace, with Premier League rules forbidding ownership of two clubs in the same division.
Palace are one of four teams his company Eagle Football Holdings owns shares in, with majority stakes in French side Lyon, Brazilian first division outfit Botafogo and Belgian side RWD Molenbeek.
A report by Brazilian news outlet ICL Noticias on 21 August claimed Textor has links to several people connected to the Russian oligarchy.
But a statement on Textor’s website on 27 August confirmed he is suing Lucio de Castro, the journalist who wrote the article, and his publication for criminal defamation and libel.
John Textor remains ‘real deal’ for Everton
Wyness is confident there isn’t anything to be concerned about in the article and it can be dismissed quite easily.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I don’t have any concerns.
“I read the article and I found it to be really lacking in any factual situations.
“I noticed another long statement has come out from John Textor himself regarding the article. He’s now lodging lawsuits against the journalists as well as the publishers, both in Brazil and in America.
“He went through a very lengthy explanation of why the allegations are completely wrong. I have got to say, it was very persuasive and I do believe that Textor is still the real deal.
“As I have said over the last few weeks, if there is a way that he and Friedkin could come together and Friedkin keeps his shareholding under 30 per cent so that the Roma situation is not an issue, that to me would be the dream team.
“Between them, they would have access to not only Roma, but also other clubs as well. That really would be a great scenario for Everton.
(Credit: Getty Images)
“I have got no concerns whatsoever about this supposed investigative journalism.
“I have seen good pieces of investigative journalism before and they tend to rely a lot more on fact. I think I can dismiss this one pretty easily.”
In other news, expert reacts to “exclusive” Everton takeover development.
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