The Friedkin Group has effectively put Everton up for sale, releasing a 170-word statement on Friday morning. TFG, who also own AS Roma, paid more than £400m for a 99.5% share of Everton in December 2024, ending the financial crisis and toxicity of Farhad Moshiri’s final days. Their arrival was meant to mark a new era as the club prepared to move from Goodison Park to a new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock. Instead, the owners are now testing the market.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire told BBC Sport he expected TFG to seek between £750m and £800m for a complete sale, with a buyer taking on current debts of around £468m. Maguire believes the timing is attractive because of a buoyant market, American interest and the scarcity of Premier League clubs. He noted that buying a sports franchise in the United States can cost $5bn or more, and suggested TFG may see Everton as something they can flip: buy low and sell high.
Maguire suspects the owners were shocked by having to pay Burnley more than £35m for a breach of financial rules. In 2024 Everton were found to have broken Profit and Sustainability Rules over a three-year period. Burnley argued the breach affected their chances of staying in the Premier League in 2021-22 and sought compensation for relegation-related losses. TFG injected £38m into the club to cover the cost, and Everton have since appealed. Maguire added that English football may have become more litigious than TFG expected.
TFG’s ownership has been marked by a sense of distance. Chairman Dan Friedkin has never attended an Everton game and has never spoken to manager David Moyes since Moyes returned to the club in January 2025. Moyes made that revelation after a botched summer transfer window that transformed the relationship between Everton fans and TFG from cold acceptance to outright toxicity.
The catalyst was TFG’s attempt to sell teenager Harrison Armstrong, one of Everton’s finest academy products in recent years, to Nottingham Forest in a £40m deal. The move was agreed by TFG until news leaked, prompting loud threats of a riot from Everton fans during the game at Bournemouth later that day. TFG blocked the deal, but it was little more than a face-saving PR exercise after a decision that alienated the fanbase. Everton then sold Iliman Ndiaye to Manchester City for £65m and Beto to Fiorentina, before a move for Monaco forward Folarin Balogun collapsed with no time to find alternatives. Moyes was left a striker light and with only 18 senior outfield players.
Moyes spoke at his press conference before Sunday’s match away at Hull, admitting he only learned about the potential sale at the same time as the wider public. “I’m disappointed that Evertonians have to go through another period of ‘who are our owners?’,” he said. “I truly believed with new ownership we were in it completely. My ambition coming back was trying to get Everton back to the levels they have been in the past, and that is challenging for Europe more often. It has been a difficult summer for us. I only found out this morning. Maybe, I am a little bit surprised, but maybe I shouldn’t be that surprised.”
Maguire believes TFG have brought a measure of financial stability after Moshiri’s crisis, making Everton attractive to potential buyers. He points to the club’s history and heritage, its status as a Premier League perennial, a passionate fanbase and a superb 50,000-plus stadium. He adds that a buyer would not have to spend money on upgrading the stadium, and that unlike the chaos of the Moshiri era, “you can lift up the carpet now at Everton and nothing unpleasant will come out.” He describes Everton as an “over ready” football club coming on to the market, with his starting point for potential buyers being the States.
Maguire also said TFG have not really engaged with the club or Liverpool as a city. He contrasted Everton with Roma, who are in the Champions League and have a far greater chance of being there regularly. He expects TFG’s tenure to be remembered with a mixture of disappointment and indifference, though he believes Everton now have the right people at the club, unlike the Moshiri regime where some were there for decoration rather than substance.
TFG will hope to complete a quick deal. Maguire said much of the due diligence has already been done by the Friedkins, meaning problems have been highlighted and dealt with. The remaining hurdle is the Premier League’s owners and directors’ process, including whether a buyer has the money and can prove where it comes from, not just to buy the club but to run it. Moyes is happy to provide a reference. “I’m looking forward to getting the right people in to take the club further forward,” he said. “It’s a great club. If anyone wants to speak to me then I will be the first person to let them know that it is certainly worth buying.”