At last, we are due to come to a conclusion on Everton’s protracted takeover saga.
It is a process which has spanned over eight months now and left the fanbase frustrated and in the dark.
Farhad Moshiri has not helped the situation with his lack of communication, in what is a monumental decision to sell a football club.
Understandably, people wanted to know more about the potential investors, and as time went on, more and more dark secrets were uncovered about 777 Partners.
Now, under the weight of such scrutiny, the takeover is finally set to buckle.
Kieran Maguire analyses 777 Partners’ takeover
Speaking on his Price of Football podcast, released earlier today, football finance expert Kieran Maguire was rather cutthroat in his analysis of Moshiri and 777 Partners.
Despite reports having emerged that their proposed deal to hand the reins over to the latter was set to fall through, it did not stop the University lecturer from weighing in on the ‘genuine concern’ he and many others seem to have for the Toffees.
He passionately noted: ‘If people think that administration for any football club is an easy way out of things, that’s not the case because there’s jobs on the line, there’s people who have supplied the club in good faith as well.
‘You can understand the anger of the shareholder group, they’ve been kept in the dark, Farhad Moshiri has, in my view, completely failed in his responsibilities towards the fans, his employees and also to the broader football environment.
‘777 have not engaged with the other shareholders. I don’t know of a single Evertonian who thinks that 777 are a step in the right direction.
‘These are not grudges that people have against Farhad Moshiri or Alisher Usmanov or Everton Football Club, it is a genuine concern about the current position of the club and the potential future ramifications as this sorry story drags its way through a very turgid process.’
Administration is not a get-out-of-jail-free card for Everton
Whilst some in the media might suggest that administration would be some kind of get-out-of-jail-free card, that would not be the case.
Maguire, as an expert in the field, should be enough of a powerful voice to convince the masses.
This eventuality is a worst-case scenario, and effectively means that the club can no longer pay its bills. That means the players, the coaching staff, the medical team, those in the cafeteria. Everybody loses out, and redundancies would be widespread.
To enact such a huge negative change on what has become a pillar in the community would help no one, especially when there are plenty of mega-rich parties likely very interested in investing in a Premier League club.
Despite their struggles, there remains a huge opportunity at Everton to make something great. Hopefully, an alternative to 777 Partners can see it and take the plunge to save the club.
