Q&A: A closer look at Everton takeover as Friedkin Group deal agreed

Everton have announced an agreement has been reached for the Friedkin Group to take over the club, purchasing Farhad Moshiri’s 94 per cent majority shareholding.

Here, we have a closer look at the situation and what happens next.

The Friedkin Group is, according to its official website, “a privately held consortium of businesses and investments in the automotive, hospitality, entertainment, sports and adventure industries”. It is led by American billionaire Dan Friedkin, whose involvement in the film industry includes winning a stunt award for his work with a Spitfire in 2017’s Dunkirk. In 2020, his group completed a purchase of Serie A side Roma.

Yes – in June Everton confirmed they had entered exclusive negotiations with the Friedkin Group over a possible takeover of the club, to whom it had provided an injection of £200million. That came after a deal with Miami-based firm 777 Partners, agreed in September 2023, had collapsed in May.

Joint Statement - Blue Heaven Holdings and The Friedkin Group.https://t.co/LQPvOGEGz2 pic.twitter.com/moeboDkzs7

— Everton (@Everton) July 19, 2024

A month later, a joint statement from Everton and the Friedkin Group said discussions had ended and that a purchase would not be taking place. It added that Moshiri’s Blue Heaven Holdings maintained a “positive relationship” with the group, which would remain a lender to the club and was “proud to have played a key role in enabling the new stadium to be built”, referring to Bramley-Moore Dock, where Everton are set to move from Goodison Park in time for the 2025-26 season.

Another American businessman, John Textor, became the apparent front runner. While Textor was required to sell his 45 per cent share of Everton’s fellow Premier League side