It’s a very trying time for Everton Football Club at the moment under the direction of Farhad Moshiri.
For some while now it has appeared that the 69-year-old British-Iranian businessman has wanted to get shot of the Toffees, but a proposed deal with 777 Partners has now collapsed.
What that means for the club and it’s owner nobody really knows, though it’s clearly not a good situation for the Merseyside outfit to find themselves in.
Not least because they will soon be moving into a new, start-of-the-art £500m stadium at Bramley-Moore dock.
Everton could be in trouble after 777 pull out
Despite a points deduction for breaches of Financial Fair Play, Sean Dyche managed to keep the first team up in the Premier League for another season at least, and that’s some bright news amidst the gloom.
The immediate and short term future for the club still looks murky, however.
“I think I said previously that if Everton went down, they would have to go into administration,” Jon Smith said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.
“If 777 pulled out, which has now happened, and there was nobody else, then the Russians would have to step up and keep the club alive during the process.
“There was a there was a rumour, and it is just rumour that 777 allegedly hadn’t loaned Everton money and that the Russians were allegedly continuing to fund the club.
“At the moment, the only obvious potential buyer that I see is John Textor, but he has to get rid of his 45% share in Crystal Palace.
“Now, I know he’s talking to the Premier League about becoming a silent partner, so he’ll have no voice and won’t be a part of the decision making process at Palace.
“His plea to the Premier League, therefore, will be on the basis that could he be allowed to have conversations with Everton? I think that he’s waiting for that as a response.
“It makes no sense for the very wealthy Russians behind Moshiri to let this go, because they’ll lose everything. They might as well keep it going and wait for a Textor or someone else – and there will be a someone else at some point.
“If the Russians can’t, for whatever reason – politically or otherwise – keep it together, then they will have to seek some sort of administrative support, which would be disastrous for Everton Football Club.”
It paints a said picture for a once great club, and one can only hope that John Textor or any other businessman/consortium can come in at the 11th hour and look to provide some sort of salvage package.
Regardless of whether than happens or not, Everton have the more immediate decision of whether to cash in on some of their superstars, knowing that it will severely weaken what Dyche will be aiming to do for next season.
If he decides to walk out as well, given it will be a case of two steps forward and one back and then the club really will find it hard to claw themselves back from the brink.