LIVERPOOL — Everton are up for sale again less than two years after The Friedkin Group completed their takeover, with the Houston-based owners testing the market after a turbulent tenure on Merseyside. TFG, who also own AS Roma, released a low-key 170-word statement on Friday morning confirming they are effectively putting the club up for sale, having paid more than £400m for a 99.5% share in December 2024 to end the financial crisis of Farhad Moshiri's regime. Football finance expert Kieran Maguire told BBC Sport he expects TFG to seek between £750m and £800m for a complete sale, with any buyer taking on current debts of around £468m.
The announcement underlined the disconnect between TFG and Everton, illustrated by the fact chairman Dan Friedkin has never attended an Everton match or spoken to manager David Moyes since he returned to the club in January 2025. Moyes revealed that distance at his press conference before Sunday's match away at Hull, admitting he learned of the potential sale at the same time as the public. "I'm disappointed that Evertonians have to go through another period of 'who are our owners?'" Moyes said. "I truly believed with new ownership we were in it completely. My ambition coming back was trying to get Everton back to the levels they have been in the past, and that is challenging for Europe more often. It has been a difficult summer for us. I only found out this morning. Maybe, I am a little bit surprised, but maybe I shouldn't be that surprised."
The catalyst for the breakdown was a botched summer transfer window that transformed cold acceptance of TFG into outright toxicity. TFG agreed a £40m deal to sell 19-year-old academy midfielder Harrison Armstrong, one of the finest products of Everton's academy in recent years, to Nottingham Forest, only to block it in damage-limitation mode after news leaked and prompted loud threats of "a riot" from supporters during the fixture at Bournemouth. Everton then sold Iliman Ndiaye to Manchester City for £65m and striker Beto to Fiorentina, before a move for Monaco forward Folarin Balogun collapsed with no time to seek alternatives, leaving Moyes light up front with only 18 senior outfield players.
"I think there are various factors at play. I suspect they were shocked by having to pay Burnley more than £35m for a breach of financial rules," Maguire said. In 2024 Everton were found to have broken Profit and Sustainability Rules over a three-year period, with Burnley arguing the breach had impacted their chances of staying in the Premier League in the 2021-22 season and seeking compensation for losses associated with relegation. TFG injected £38m into the club to cover the cost, while Everton have subsequently appealed. Maguire added: "I think that perhaps they thought English football was going to become as litigious as trying to operate in the United States. This will not have appealed to them. It is also a good time to sell because it is such a buoyant market. The Americans will be interested. There are only 20 Premier League clubs you can buy. There are lots of potential buyers out there. There is that scarcity factor."
Maguire said TFG can view the club as a flip opportunity to "buy low and sell high" in a market where a United States sporting franchise can cost 5 billion dollars or more, noting Everton remain an attractive proposition despite the unrest. "Everton have history and heritage," he said. "They are Premier League perennials. They look like they will stay there and they have a passionate fanbase who fill a superb 50,000-plus stadium. You are not having to spend money on an upgrade of that stadium." With the magnificent new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock requiring no further outlay and the finances stabilised after Moshiri's chaos, Maguire described Everton as an "over ready" football club coming to market, with his starting point for potential buyers being the States.