Everton owners The Friedkin Group (TFG) have announced they are seeking new investment in the club with both a minor and controlling stake both possible, less than two years after completing their purchase of the Merseyside club.
A statement released on the club website early on Friday morning said:
“The Friedkin Group are exploring new investment options for Everton Football Club, including the potential sale of a controlling interest.”
TFG’s one full season in charge of the club so far, their first at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, saw them pick up a 13th placed finish in the Premier League, while they are currently seventh in the table as the league returns from the international break.
Takeover Completed After Previous False Start
TFG, run by San Diego born billionaire Dan Friedkin, completed their purchase of Everton from previous owner Farhad Moshiri in December 2024 after a previous proposed takeover by 777 Partners fell through earlier in the year. After being given exclusivity over the summer, TFG gave the club an injection of £200 million to help them finish off the building of the Hill Dickinson Stadium, which opened at the beginning of last season.
Whilst the original plan was for Goodison Park to be redeveloped, it was announced in May 2025 that the stadium would remain open and become the permanent home of the club’s women’s team.
Looking Ahead By Looking Back
Inevitably, once the new owners were in place, rumours began to circulate over the future of manager Sean Dyche. Sure enough, he was sacked just three weeks after the takeover was completed- just hours before an FA Cup Third Round tie against Peterborough United.
At the time the club were 16th in the Premier League, desperate to ensure top flight football on their move to the new stadium. His replacement was a return for David Moyes, who had previously managed the club from 2002 to 2013.
After losing on his return to the club at home to Aston Villa, Moyes oversaw a nine-match unbeaten run, with four wins and five draws. The last men’s match at Goodison was played on 18th May and saw the Toffees secure a 2-0 win over Southampton.
Inconsistent Start In New Home
Everton’s first match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on 24th August saw a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion. Iliman N’Diaye scored the first goal in the new stadium, having also scored the final goal at Goodison three months earlier.
The club seemed to be unable to get a consistent run of form going throughout the season, the best run coming in January with two wins and three draws in five games. This raised hopes that a challenge for a place in Europe was possible.
An impressive 3-0 win over Chelsea on 21st March saw them rise to eighth, which would have given them a place in the Conference League. However, that proved to be their last win of the season and they finished 13th after taking just three points from their final seven.
Have TFG Improved Everton?
Fan unrest had grown at Everton following multiple seasons where the club had been battling relegation. In the seasons from 2022-24 they finished between 15th and 17th, with 2022-23 seeing them stay up by just two points.
It is worth noting that they had an eight point deduction for breaching Profit & Sustainability rules in the 2023-24 season. Without that deduction they would have finished 12th. Naturally, the fact TFG have only had one-and-a-half seasons in charge means there is not a large amount of time to judge them on.
They have steadied the ship after a period of unrest which saw their 72-year run in the top flight under major threat. The fact they are seeking either new investment or a full sale only 22 months after taking control suggests they don’t believe themselves they are enough to see Everton kick on and push up the table.
