The Friedkin Group's Takeover of Everton

On 19 December, the Texas-based Friedkin Group completed its takeover of Everton, buying a 98.8% stake from Farhad Moshiri. The deal, reported to be worth more than £400 million, made Everton the tenth Premier League club under majority American ownership.

Moshiri had owned Everton since 2016, but the club struggled on and off the pitch and was deducted eight points in total last season for breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules. In September 2023 Moshiri agreed to sell to Miami-based investment firm 777 Partners. The Premier League would only approve the deal if 777 met several conditions, including proving it had the funds, and the agreement expired earlier this year. During the delay, loans from 777 and its lender A-CAP kept the club running, adding more than £200 million to Everton's debts.

The Friedkin Group agreed a deal in September, after an earlier agreement in principle in June had fallen through. Before completing, it needed approval from the Premier League, the FA, Women's Professional Leagues Limited and the FCA. As part of the deal it converted most of Everton's debt into equity or refinanced it on better terms, and put in funds to finish the club's new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.

The Friedkin Group also owns Italian club Roma, making the takeover another example of one owner controlling clubs in more than one country.

The owners' test stopped a buyer that could not prove its funding. While the sale was stuck, the club's debts kept growing.