January 25 – Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has denied reports that the club is up for sale but that he has been meeting investors to complete financing of the club’s new stadium at Bramley Moor Dock.
“The club is not for sale but I have been talking to top investors, really quality, to bridge a gap (in funding) on the stadium,” Moshiri told the club’s fan advisory board prior to their defeat against West Ham United at the weekend.
“I can do it myself and the reason I want to do it is to bring top sport investors to Everton. We are close to having a deal done. It is not selling the club at all. It is bringing more expertise in terms of sponsorship, commercial development and a lot of specialist sport investors have this pool of knowledge,” he continued.
“The stadium is the best-performing area of our operation at the moment: on time, on budget. Once we get through the current underperformance fans can start dreaming with me. The stadium was never a luxury for Everton. For us, it was a necessity.”
The second longest serving top flight team is in complete turmoil following the dismissal of manager Frank Lampard, who kept Everton in the Premier League last season, but lingering in 19th spot Everton are on the brink of losing their current relegation battle with ties coming up against league leaders Arsenal and Merseyside rivals Liverpool.
In the end Lampard lasted less than a year and this campaign Everton have only won three of their 20 Premier League games. Under Moshiri Everton have spent £600 million but the club remains a symbol of turbulence and poor management across the board.
Moshiri however told fans: “The ambition for Everton is always to be part of the elite…We were part of the elite. Our goal is never to be in the bottom three. Our ambition is to play European football.
“We haven’t succeeded today but we have laid the foundation to do it. We’ll get there but we can only get there together.”
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