As Everton fans begin to digest the surprise news that The Friedkin Group have entered into the regulatory process to become the new owners of the club, their fascination has now turned to who Dan Friedkin and his group are, and what they will bring.
Friedkin pipped fellow American John Textor to a deal with Farhad Moshiri for his 94.1 per cent shareholding in the club at the 11th hour on Sunday, with an official announcement on Monday after previously pulling out of the running in July.
Textor had talked in an interview on SSN about his admiration of the club, its fans and its community and his comments were welcomed by a large majority of the fan base.
TFG want to complete the process of ownership approval before talking more extensively about their plans for the club and that’s to be respected – but there is an insatiable appetite from fans to know what type of ownership they can expect from Dan Friedkin and Co.
Textor, believing he was the frontrunner and favourite to agree a deal, had enjoyed a positive relationship with Moshiri in the weeks and months leading up to Monday, and contrary to reports the two were on the same page as far as the American’s plans and passion for the project.
That friendship remains despite Moshiri choosing to go the Friedkin route and his decision was purely based on the fact he felt it provided a quicker resolution, which has become more pressing due to the sales process taking longer than expected following a few failed attempts
The Textor deal was more attractive for Moshiri personally but it seems he felt the TFG deal offered the more immediate action required, for the club, its staff and its fans too.
They have all suffered from the fatigue of a drawn out roller-coaster ride of the last two years. Textor will move on and I’m sure we will hear more from the Crystal Palace co-owner sooner rather than later on his plans to add an English club to his multi-club portfolio.
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What of the Friedkin Group and its principal Dan Friedkin?
People who know of them in Texas describe them to me as a very respected family, “Good honest people” one contact told me.
Friedkin certainly lives up to his entrepreneurial image with a diverse array of businesses and a colourful character evidenced by his aerobatic talents flying a variety of high-performance vintage military aircraft, performing in aerobatic air shows across North America and Europe with the U.S. Air Force and the Horsemen P-51 Flight Team.
Not to mention his ability as a stunt man in movies such as Dunkirk.
Along with his major business in Toyota dealerships, he also owns a group of luxury hotels and resorts, these usually include sites across America, Mexico and the Caribbean.
However, the Everton fans will want to know what kind of experience he will bring to their club after a number of troubled years both in and off the pitch.
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For a glimpse of that supporters need to look no further than Italy and AS Roma. Friedkin bought the club in 2020 for just under £600m, effectively the same as he will likely pay for Everton.
The Serie A side were, similar to Everton, suffering financial difficulties and were not performing as expected
Since the arrival of TFG it’s fair to say it’s been a mixed bag. Incumbent manager Paulo Fonseca left the club to be succeeded by Jose Mourinho, who took them to the final of the inaugural Europa Conference League, winning the final against Feyenoord.
However with the team in 9th position in Serie A and looking like Champions league football was beyond them, Friedkin and his son Ryan made the decision to part ways with the former Chelsea boss.
They are business men and will not shy away from making the tough decisions if their business becomes affected by performance, this was demonstrated again with the sacking of Danielle De Rossi, a club legend, following a run of four games without victory at the start of this season.
That led to fan protests which prompted the resignation of Club CEO Lina Souloukou last week. The Friedkin’s have experienced both sucres and troubles at Roma but they have consistently shown that they are not afraid to make changes when they’re needed.
They will walk into a club on Merseyside which have almost been in a state of suspension over the last two years, dealing with a sale of the club, PSR issues and the constant threat of relegation.
Evertonians will need to wait until the completion of the takeover before really knowing what TFG will bring, but what they will want them to bring is hope, positivity and most of all togetherness.
Things, despite the hard work of many, that have been in short supply for too long now.
Source : Sky Sports
