Former Everton manager Sam Allardyce has been speaking about the club’s current position both on and off the pitch
Sam Allardyce insists there is no bitterness from him after being hired and then fired by Everton’s now wantaway majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri. But he acknowledges that the approval for the Friedkin Group’s takeover deal cannot come soon enough.
After previously ending talks back in July, a deal for the Friedkin Group to purchase Moshiri’s entire 94.1% stake in Everton was announced on September 23.
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.”
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Although no timescale has been publicly discussed by either party, sources close to the deal are hopeful that the Friedkin Group, who already own Italian side Roma, should get the green light from the relevant parties, including the Premier League board, by December.
Speaking on the matter on talkSPORT this week, former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan said: “I think it’s a done deal, I think Friedkin will own Everton.”
Following the sacking of Ronald Koeman, Moshiri’s first of eight managerial appointments in as many years, Allardyce was hired as boss from November 30, 2017, but rather than act as a relegation ‘fire fighter’ he saw his new team in the top half of the table by the end of his first week in charge.
Although Everton would be well clear of danger as they went on to finish eighth in the table that season, behind Burnley, who Sean Dyche steered into European football for the first time since 1966/67, an attritional style that had Allardyce’s side ranked bottom of the Premier League for shots, shots on target and chances created, saw him sacked on May 16, 2018, just three days after their final game of the campaign.
Speaking exclusively on the Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce said: “I think it just needs a new owner now I think you know it’s a shame.
“I’m a big Farhad Moshiri fan from my experience with him and know much money has been put into Everton, sadly far too much of it was wasted, but he gave it his best shot. Now the out is making sure they stay in the Premier League for the new stadium, which is probably the biggest selling point of Everton at the moment, especially with the revenue that would generate for the club.”
The 70-year-old, who was in conversation with Everton goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, admits he’s been shocked by the Blues’ lack of resilience at times this term and reckons the team could easily have been much further up the table if they’d hung onto more leads, including their back-to-back capitulations against Bournemouth and Aston Villa.
Allardyce said: “Unlike Sean, he’s thrown some really big results away, hasn’t he? Two on the trot, 2-0 up twice, he didn’t just draw them, he lost them.
“Getting those two goals up anywhere in the Premier League is a great achievement but it’s disappointing for me, watching him, that he didn’t hang on to that. I’m sure he did what he could, and the players should have understood the responsibility that they had, but as a manager, you look at the situation and say ‘no, I don’t need another goal, I just need to stop them scoring.’
“Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. It seemed like panic set in when one went in, and they lost their cool. If they hadn’t done that, they’d be in a much better position and mid-table by now.
“They’d be keeping that pressure off because getting around that bottom three, oh man, that pressure is relentless. All you ever hear is the ‘r word,’ you know what I mean?”
