Everton takeover news as Dan Friedkin closes in on a purchase of the club.
James Vaughan is hoping that the Friedkin Group (TFG) will inject funds into Everton’s academy when the prospective takeover is completed.
The American firm’s purchase of the club from majority owner Farhad Moshiri is expected to go through next month after regulatory approval. TFG are headed by Texan billionaire Dan Friedkin and the firm already own Serie A outfit AS Roma.
Should the takeover go through, much attention will be on whether TFG can inject funds into the first-team budget. Tight financial restrictions, as well as having to adhere to Premier League profit and sustainability rules, have meant that there hasn’t been much money to spend in recent seasons. As a result, Everton have relied on player sale that include Richarlison, Anthony Gordon and Amadou Onana.
But supporters will also hope that TFG focus on all facets of the Blues, including the academy. The likes of Gordon, Ellis Simms, Tom Cannon and Lewis Dobbin have all come through the youth ranks only to be sold to help meet financial regulations.
And head of academy recruitment and player pathways Vaughan, who has had to work on a tight budget in his role, believes additional funds would be put to good use. Speaking to iNews, the former Everton striker – who remains the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer aged 16 years 270 days – said: “I think we have to look outside the box a bit, be a bit innovative and I think we do a really good job of that.
“The easiest thing in the world is to look at the same players everyone is looking at and say ‘We want the same player’ but it’s about knowing your own mind and the kind of player who will benefit from your programme,
“It’s exciting for everyone. New ownership would mean new conversations. We believe we’re doing some really good work and that’s without massive investment so I think we don’t know what that level (of finance) is going to be but we can only plan for all eventualities. “If that means we’re going to get more resource then we believe we can put that to good use and kick on again.”
Director of football Kevin Thelwell has had to work with limited resources since his arrival in February 2022, which has impacted all aspects of his remit. Thelwell is also hoping that TFG will provide additional support.
He said: “I would say the biggest piece for us now is we’ve got a lot of good process in place. The biggest issue we’ve got across the whole building – because we’ve not been able to invest – is recruitment. First-team men’s, women’s, losing talent, recruiting at younger ages can be improved hugely.
“I would hope new ownership would be supportive of that process. Once we get that resource that can help us a little bit with programme stuff, a little bit with process stuff, a little bit with recruitment stuff, I think we’re going to be in a really exciting place.
“I think we’re ready for that next evolution, is how it feels. Assuming they [the Friedkin Group] get regulatory approval, it’s just now a case of getting the new owners in, getting them bedded in, not going crazy but certainly being able to take the next step.”
