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Everton owner, Farhad Moshiri, has said that the club is not for sale despite reports on Tuesday that the British-Iranian businessman had put the club up for sale. Moshiri, who bought a majority stake in the club in February 2016, has been under increasing pressure in recent months as the Toffees’ struggles on and off the pitch worsen.
With Everton lingering at the bottom of the Premier League table, Moshiri made the decision to sack Frank Lampard earlier in the week. It was the sixth manager that he had sacked in his seven-year stint at the club, with many fans suggesting that a competent owner wouldn’t have such a track record.
Everton have been on a downward trajectory since Moshiri bought the club, despite some heavy investment during his early years as head of the club. The main issue has been an apparent lack of direction and strategy with their transfer policy which has seen them go close to breaking financial fair play regulations on a couple of occasions.
As it stands, it appears that the club needs to sell players in order to bring new ones in, and with just a week to go in the transfer market and no manager in place, alarm bells are ringing at Goodison Park.
Everton are not for sale
Reports on Tuesday from the Guardian suggested that the protests against Moshiri and the Everton board had taken their toll and had convinced him to sell up. However, an interview with Moshiri released by the Everton Fan Advisory Board, suggests otherwise.
In the interview, Moshiri reveals that he is looking for people to invest in the club, but isn’t considering selling up entirely. He said:
“The club is not for sale, but I’ve been talking to top investors of real quality to bridge a gap on the stadium. I can do it myself but I want to bring top sports investors into Everton. We are close to having a deal done. It is not selling the club at all, it is just bringing more expertise in terms of global sponsorship and commercial development.”
Moshiri went on to say that he feels the same pain as the Everton supporters and that he remains committed to turning their fortunes around. He said:
“This is the most critical time in our history. It’s almost an existential point. We will be ruthless but we also need to be calm and go beyond our current position on the pitch.
I feel the pain and I hear what the fans say – they have points and we will be addressing them. I don’t miss anything, I have a list of all the points. I am committed to this club, not just to this stadium but to join the elite. But I need the fans’ help.”
Relegation reality
After coming back from the brink of relegation under Frank Lampard last season, Everton once again find themselves in real danger of dropping down to the Championship. While last year they leaned on Richarlison to dig them out of trouble, the club sold the Brazilian in the summer and didn’t adequately replace him.
Most importantly of all, though, they need to get a manager through the door that can get a tune out of the players at the club. The current favourites for the position are Marcelo Bielsa and Sean Dyche.
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