Skip to main content

New hope for Everton

Everton are facing the biggest losses in their history and leading football finance expert Kieran Maguire says that they have suffered from poor management decisions: Sunday Telegraph report

But there is new hope for the club with Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov keen to get involved. He was formerly a significant shareholder at Arsenal, and still retains an affection for the North London club, but is prepared to help his business partner Farhad Moshiri at Everton. Mr Moshiri is executive chairman and a shareholder in Mr Usmanov's holding company, USM. Mr Usmanov has a fortune of $16bn from a variety of enterprises, but is far less reliant on resource extraction than many Russian businessmen.

Mr Usmanov revealed his intentions over lunch with the head of the Moscow bureau of the Financial Times. Although the interview seems to have been somewhat tense at times, Mr Usmanov was open about his intentions. He felt he could achieved something at Arsenal, but it became clear that the majority shareholder, the controversial 'silent' Stan Kroenke, did not want to work with him.

Given their history, and their role in the formation of the Premier League, Everton regard themselves as a top club, but translating that aspiration into reality has been challenging at times.

He made it clear that he did not necessarily intend to participate directly. He could be a shareholder or a sponsor. The iconic new stadium could be the USM Stadium after the name of his holding company. Mr Usmanov told the Pink 'Un: 'Everton is the club of my friend, my brother. So of course in a manner I am [already] linked to it.

John Blain, a representative of small shareholders in the club said that a move by Usmanov would be welcomed: 'Farhad is a wealthy man, but it does not compare to Alisher.'

Evidence of his good intent is that he brokered the deal to bring Carlo Ancelotti to the club as its new manager.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Threat of financial calamity removed from Baggies

West Bromwich Albion had effectively been in decline ever since the club was sold to a Chinese consortium in August 2016, paying a figure north of £200m to buy former owner Jeremy Peace’s stake. Controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai’s ownership was fairly disastrous for the club, but his unloved tenure finally came to an end after Bilkul Football WBA, a company ultimately owned by Florida-based entrepreneur Shilen Patel and his father Dr Kiran Patel, acquired an 87.8% shareholding in West Bromwich Albion Group Limited, the parent company of West Bromwich Albion Football Club. This change in ownership was urgently required, due to the numerous financial problems facing West Brom, including growing high-interest debt and serious cash flow concerns, following years of no investment from the former owner. Indeed, West Brom’s auditors had already rung the alarm bell in the 2021/22 accounts when they cast doubt on the club’s ability to continue as a going concern without making player s

Gold standard ground boosts Tottenham's income

The gold standard in European football grounds is the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in north London, a £1bn construction project completed in 2019. Its impact on the club’s finances has become increasingly clear as the effects of the pandemic have faded. Previously, the average fan would spend less than £2 inside the ground on a typical match day, but now that figure is about £16, thanks to new facilities including the longest bar in Europe and an on-site microbrewery. Capacity has gone up from 36,000 at the club’s previous home of White Hart Lane to 62,000.  The new stadium — built on land adjacent to White Hart Lane — has opened the door to a broad range of other events that have helped to push commercial income up from €117mn in 2018 to €215mn in 2022. Last year, Tottenham hosted US singer Beyoncé for five nights on her global Renaissance tour, two NFL matches, as well as rugby games and heavyweight boxing bouts.  Money brought in from football has gone up too. Match day income is

Spurs to sell minority stake

Tottenham Hotspur is in talks to sell a minority stake in a deal that could value it at up to £3.75 billion and pave the way for Joe Lewis and his family to sever ties with the Premier League football club. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is seeking an investment that values the club at between £3.5 billion and £3.75 billion, including debt. While the terms of any deal have not been finalised, City sources expect Spurs to sell about 10 per cent. The club is being advised by bankers from Rothschild on the sale. Tottenham wants to raise fresh capital for new player signings and to help fund the development of an academy for its women’s team, as well as a 30-storey hotel next to its north London stadium. The financier Amanda Staveley, who brokered the deal for Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to take over Newcastle United, is understood to be among the parties to have expressed an interest in Tottenham. Staveley’s fund, PCP Capital Partners, has raised about £500 million to depl