Skip to main content

The consortium that hopes to buy Everton

Farhad Moshiri has been contacted by several groups interested in acquiring his majority share of Everton. To date, the group led by former Chelsea and Manchester United chief executive  PeterKenyon are in pole position.

There has been a head of terms agreement drafted — essentially a non-binding document that sets out the main issues in a proposed takeover or sale.  Nobody close to the talks expects them to be resolved imminently.

Some close to Moshiri are urging caution, counselling him that if he were to plough ahead with building the stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in time for the 2024-25 season, he may then be able to sell the club for around £1 billion — double the £500 million he presently values Everton at.

But Moshiri, who seven days ago broke his silence to supporters to apologise for the mistakes of his six-year reign thus far and reiterate his commitment to building Goodison Park’s successor, may yet decide two years is too long to wait.

The Athletic understands that, ideally, the former accountant would retain a 10 per cent stake in the club after any potential takeover, but it remains to be seen if his conditions and valuation of the club are shared by any of the interested parties.

Last week, Everton agreed a record sponsorship deal with Stake.com which will mean a gambling firm’s logo again appears on the chests of their shirts, two years after splitting from SportPesa.  While it may plug a clear shortfall in funding, the move has attracted criticism from some supporters and campaigners. 

 the most high-profile member of the Kenyon group is US businessman John L. Thornton. Also 68, Thornton is a billionaire and the executive chairman of Barrick Gold, the world’s biggest gold and copper mining company.  Alongside Kenyon and Thornton around the table will be American real-estate tycoon Maciek Kaminski, who is chief executive of Minneapolis-based Talon Real Estate. 

Any consortium, the Kenyon one or otherwise, would need to ensure the new stadium project is fully funded and seen through to fruition — a substantial commitment that would almost double the cost of Everton for any potential buyer.

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...

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 ...

Millwall punch above their weight

Millwall’s season was overshadowed by the tragic death of owner John Berylson following a car accident. The American had been an exemplary owner, beloved by the fans for his leadership, passion and generosity. Millwall’s finances had been pretty good during his tenure, which we shall explore by looking at the most recent accounts from the 2022/23 season, when the club narrowly missed out on a place in the play-offs after finishing 8th. Millwall’s pre-tax loss slightly reduced from £12.6m to £12.2m, as revenue rose £0.8m (4%) from £18.6m to a club record £19.4m and player sales improved from a £0.1m loss to £2.5m profit. However, other operating income dropped from by £1.1m from £1.3m to £0.2m, while operating expenses increased £1.7m (5%) from £31.6m to £33.3m. The main driver of the revenue increase was broadcasting, which rose £1.1m (12%) from £9.1m to £10.2m, though match day was also up £0.4m (7%) from £5.8m to £6.2m. In contrast, commercial fell £0.7m (19%) from £3.7m to £3....