The Friedkin Group, owner of Everton, is reportedly seeking new investment for the Premier League club, according to The Athletic.
Sources, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that the Houston, Texas-based Friedkin Group is expected to initiate a sale process, potentially involving a minority stake. According to sources, the idea is to find strategic investors who can help the club move forward.
This comes after a difficult and heavily criticized summer transfer window. Everton sold players worth £100 million in this window, with the only new signing on deadline day being right-back Ainsley Maitland-Niles, acquired from Lyon for €5 million. After a last-minute collapse in the deal to sign Monaco forward Folarin Balogun for £45 million, Everton ended the summer window with an approximate £25 million profit, as Balogun ultimately withdrew from the deal.
Fans also protested the club's potential £40 million sale of academy player Jarrad Branthwaite to Nottingham Forest, before Everton pulled out of the deal prior to the midfielder's medical.
Following the closure of the summer window, Everton's first team is left with only 18 adult outfield players, and after Beto's transfer to Fiorentina, only one adult forward, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, remains. Fan organizations have expressed dissatisfaction, believing the club's owners lack ambition.
The Everton Fan Forum issued a statement criticizing the club's "failure" in the transfer market, arguing that it raised "serious questions" about the club's planning, recruitment, and decision-making.
Meanwhile, the 1878s fan group, responsible for organizing pre-match displays at Everton's Goodison Park, stated that they would be "suspending activities for the foreseeable future" as they "do not believe the current ambitions of the fanbase align with the ambitions of the club."
The Friedkin Group acquired Everton in late 2024 through its UK investment vehicle, Roundhouse Capital. Under Farhad Moshiri, Everton experienced years of financial difficulties. One of the Friedkin Group's first actions after taking over was to stabilize Everton financially; they refinanced most of the club's high-cost debt and secured lower-interest loan agreements, collateralized by Goodison Park's 39,414-capacity stadium. They had previously brought in investment for Everton, with former Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd and American billionaire Christopher Sarofim both acquiring minority stakes.
Friedkin Group CEO Dan Friedkin has not personally attended an Everton match since the acquisition, though the group typically sends representatives to games.
The Friedkin Group also owns Italian club Roma and French club Cannes, and is pursuing the establishment of a Houston-based NHL franchise. This potential deal is valued at approximately $3.5 billion.
Everton finished 13th in the Premier League last season and has not finished in the top half of the Premier League table since the 2020-21 season.
When contacted by The Athletic, both Everton and the Friedkin Group declined to comment.
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