Everton has agreed to a period of exclusivity with The Friedkin Group with the aim for the group to acquire majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri’s 94.1% of the club. In a statement released on the club’s site, they detailed that several interested parties were looking to invest in the blues.
Friedkin Group Granted Exclusivity Deal To Buy Everton
Who Are The Friedkin Group
The Friedkin Group is a privately held firm that has a wide-ranging consortium of businesses under its umbrella. Their list of companies includes a golf course, film studio and automotive logistics. Most importantly they are the majority shareholders of AS Roma.
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Dan Friedkin is the owner and CEO of the group. The Texas-based businessman has estimated net worth stands at $6.1 billion. He purchased Roma in September 2020. When asked by the club what he will be providing to the fans as an owner, he stated “We intend to listen a lot – and we have already been listening – and what we have heard so far is that the fans want three things – a team to be proud of, a club that appreciates, understands and shares their passion, and an ownership that is both present and honest.”
Since taking over at Roma the club has won a European Conference title in 2022 as well as making a Europa League Final the following year.
How Will Multi-Club Ownership Work For Everton
Everton and Roma are two historical clubs that have failed to meet expectations in recent times. While Roma has yet to find its way back into the upper echelons of Serie A progress under Friedkin has been positive.
Friedkin has had a heavy focus on the development of the academy while in charge at Roma. Something that will likely be replicated at Goodison Park.
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The majority of multi-club ownerships in world football have a clear number one club. This is unlikely to happen in this case. If one club were to become a ‘feeder’ for the other the fans would quickly turn on the ownership.
Both clubs will benefit from an extended scouting network as well as being able to loan players to each other. If Everton were to return to Europe they could run into issues due to UEFA’s policy against two clubs under the same ownership playing in continental competitions. But if that was to come to fruition, it would be a good problem to have for those at Goodison.
