Former Everton captain Alan Stubbs has been addressing his hopes for the Friedkin Group’s proposed takeover of the club
Reconnecting with the fanbase must be the first priority for Everton’s prospective new owners the Friedkin Group believes former club captain Alan Stubbs. After previously ending takeover talks back in July, the Friedkin Group announced on September 23 their agreement to purchase Farhad Moshiri’s 94.1% stake in Everton.
A joint statement read: “Blue Heaven Holdings and The Friedkin Group confirm that they have reached agreement over the terms of the sale of Blue Heaven Holdings’ majority stake in Everton Football Club. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval, including from the Premier League, the Football Association, and the Financial Conduct Authority.”
Lifelong Evertonian Stubbs, who played 193 games for the Blues, scoring seven goals, in two spells from 2001-05 and then 2006-08, believes the club needs stability and leadership and he hopes the Friedkin Group can bring that. He told BestBettingSites.com: “We’re all waiting for the Premier League to give the takeover the green light, but everything seems positive and hopefully the club can move forward with a sense of optimism when the deal is ratified in eight to twelve weeks.
READ MORE: Everton could land starlet with £58m release clause in bargain transfer to solve problem positionREAD MORE: What Jarrad Branthwaite must avoid as Everton starlet told £50m bid can make a difference
“The football club needs stability, and they will bring that. That’s the most important thing first and foremost and then you have a foundation to build on.
“There has been a lot of uncertainty behind-the-scenes, Sean Dyche has alluded to that, and the fans have been left in the dark to a certain extent. The club needs leadership from the top because at the moment there isn’t any.
“The guy who’s acting CEO at the moment is Mr Colin Chong, and he’s been put there by default. He was initially looking after the stadium project, and everyone has gone so he’s had to step in there.
“Once they get in and find their feet, start to implement their business plan, I think Everton fans will want to see what their vision is.”
Stubbs has also urged the Friedkin Group to build bridges and reconnect with the fans once their takeover is approved. He said: “There’s some really important items at the top of the new owners to-do list. They need to learn from the mistakes of previous owners and start reconnecting with the fans of the club, there are some wounds that need to be healed.
“Getting to know the fans and understanding them is essential in turning Everton into a successful football club. The owners need to go in and listen to the fans.
“Everton fans don’t perceive their club to be up there with Manchester United and Arsenal, we don’t expect to be winning trophies year-after-year. We know what we are and who we are.
“We’re a city club. We’re hard-working, we know where we are, we know where our standing is.
“A lot of the fans will say, just give us our club back. What gives us the DNA is that Everton is a family club, it’s a hard-working club, with some fantastic people behind-the-scenes.
“For too long there were people working behind-the-scenes who weren’t taking any accountability.”
After over eight-and-a-half years under Moshiri, Stubbs is now hoping that the Friedkin Group, who already own Italian club Roma, can usher in a brighter future for Everton. He said: “The new owners know they’ve got a big job to do.
“They’ve got a background where they’ve gone into clubs and turned them around. I think Everton would now be their primary project, which would be great.
“We’ve had an owner come in and throw money around like it’s going out of fashion and make completely wrong decisions. He was listening to agents and non-football people.
“Everton have been an example of what not to do. Now we want to be an example of what to do and how to run a football club. I’m excited but nervous, which is being an Everton fan in a nutshell.
“I think they’re the right people. I’m really looking forward to Dan Friedkin coming to the club and taking it over, I’m interested to see what his plans are, where he takes the football club, and where he leads us into the new stadium.”