Everton could be about to join an increasingly influential Premier League ownership faction if one particular investor takes over the club.
An already protracted takeover sage was extended even further after Dan Friedkin pulled out of the running following a period of exclusive talks with Farhad Moshiri.
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The British-Iranian investor is believed to be demanding £50m for his 94 per cent stake in Everton, which has raised eyebrows given that the club is straining under the weight of around £800m of debt.
The increasingly nebulous debt situation at Everton, which now encompasses a £200m loan Friedkin himself has taken over from MSP Sports Capital, means the path forward is not clear.
However, the club are still an attractive asset.
Liverpool University football finance lecturer and Price of Football author Kieran Maguire has exclusively told TBR that a number of groups remain interested in Everton.
We know the identities of a handful of those groups for certain, and one investor who has now been explicit about his ambitions with Everton would represent an interesting option.
Kevin Malone takeover could see Everton join Liverpool in powerful sports ownership faction
Vici Private Finance and a consortium led by London-based investor Vatche Manoukian are among those who will re-enter the race to take Everton after Moshiri rebuffed their earlier advances.
Another mystery bidder is, according to The Athletic’s Matt Slater, also expected to emerge soon, while it not known whether MSP Sports Capital or the Bell-Downing group will also return to the table.
Now, as reported by GiveMeSport, American investor Kevin Malone has also publicly revealed that he is exploring an Everton takeover.
“All I can say at this time, is that our investor group is seriously evaluating the Everton opportunity,” said the 66-year-old.
Malone is the former general manager of Major League Baseball giants the LA Dodgers in the late 90s and early 2000s.
He appears to be the public face of a consortium financed by a number of American investment groups.
Interestingly, while Malone no longer formally involved in baseball, he could become part of a growing group of Premier League investors with links to the sport.
That group includes John Henry’s Fenway Sports Group, who own the Boston Red Sox as well as Everton rivals Liverpool.
Arsenal’s Stan Kroenke, Man United’s Glazer family and Chelsea’s Todd Boehly also own majority stakes i Major League Baseball teams.
This group of investors believe there is untapped value in Premier League clubs, especially in the US market.
Significantly, according to new analysis from industry experts Football Benchmark, the total value of MLB’s TV rights is an astonishing £9bn.
Unlike MLB, the Premier League is not a franchise league. That makes it a very different investment prospect for the likes of Malone, with a far higher degree of risk.
But there is huge upside. And a recent report from CLV Group that there is major commercial crossover potential between Premier League clubs and MLB.
Overall, that report suggests that the US market can yield an extra £850m in commercial revenue for European clubs before the 2026 World Cup.
TBR Analysis: Will Everton be forced to sell Jarrad Branthwaite amid takeover latest?
Amid all the takeover drama, Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell have a football club to run – and that includes operating in the transfer market.
Lewis Dobbin, Ben Godfrey and Amadou Onana have all left the club for significant fees in recent weeks as the club continues its recovery from recent Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) issues.
However, the future of 22-year-old Jarrad Branthwaite remains unresolved.
Man United have bid for Branthwaite but one which is not believed to have come close to matching Everton’s £70m asking price.
But with the club spending seven figures every week on interest repayments and with an owner in Moshiri whose money appears to have completely dried up, can Everton afford not to sell him?
Cash flow issues are not an issue at present. They recently received their prize money for the 2023-24 Premier League season, and the Onana sale in particular has helped.
But with it still not being clear who will fund the club for the rest of the season, it is conceivable that Everton feel they have no choice but to cash in on Branthwaite.
If they do sell the defender, it will not be because of PSR pressures but rather because of their current lack of capital to fund the club day-to-day into the long-term future.
This is not an immediate concern, but it is one that most analysts are suggesting does need addressing as soon as possible – despite what the club appears to be briefing.
