Sean Dyche says he cannot focus on his Everton future while dealing with a “volatile situation on and off the pitch” after the club distanced themselves from comments from the prospective new owner, John Textor.
Everton travel to Aston Villa on Saturday bottom after losing their opening three Premier League matches. Over the international break the focus has been on Textor’s potential takeover, which he is confident of completing before the 30 November deadline.
The American businessman is the fifth bidder granted a period of exclusivity by Blue Heaven Holdings, the company that owns Everton, and he spoke to Sky Sports about the progress of the deal and the future of Dyche, whose contract runs out at the end of the season.
“The last thing on my mind if I spoke to a new owner – if there was a new owner – would be my contract,” Dyche said. “That will sort itself out one way or another. That’s the other side of the business. They want to know you, what’s happening, where we are at. My contract is the least of my concerns at the moment. The first of my concerns is the team winning football matches.”
Textor suggested he would sit down with Dyche and ask whether he would work with players recommended by the American and whether he could adapt to coaching players such as Botafogo’s Igor Jesus or Luis Henrique. Textor played down rumours he has lined up Palmeiras’s Abel Ferreira to replace Dyche.
“That’s standard,” Dyche said. “In 10 years as a manager if you think I haven’t been down this road before you would be wrong. Even at Burnley they would talk about [other] managers for years.
“This club has had eight or nine years of that kind of thing [happening] every 12 or 18 months, with noise generated either from bad results or a feeling that ‘you’ve got to change it’. You’d ask why: ‘I don’t know, they just do.’ I have never worried about it. Full stop. I just get on working dealing with realities.”
Everton’s interim chief executive officer, Colin Chong, said of Textor’s comments: “While positive conversations and progress continues to be made with Mr Textor to formalise any deal with him, there remains some work to be done to complete the transaction.
“Accordingly, the comments made by Mr Textor merely represent his personal view on club matters. Everyone at the club is staying focused on providing the best possible support to Sean and the squad as we head into the weekend’s fixture.”
Textor's Bid: A Long and Winding Road
Prospective new Everton owner John Textor says succeeding Farhad Moshiri would be akin to becoming President of the United States. Textor is the fifth bidder to enter into an exclusivity agreement to buy Everton.
In August, the 58-year-old digital entrepreneur confirmed in a statement his intention to sell his 45 per cent stake in Crystal Palace “so that we can pursue a relationship with the Everton club and community”.
Everton majority shareholder Moshiri has granted a period of exclusivity to the American but any deal is dependent on the would-be buyer selling his stake in Palace, as Premier League rules prohibit individuals from owning more than one team.
In an extensive interview with Sky Sports News reporter Alan Myers, Textor says he feels a deal is close to being reached - and is confident of it being completed before the November 30 deadline set in his exclusivity agreement…
“The word ‘buy’ is always a weird one when it comes to football clubs. It provokes a discomfort in me every time because imagine going out and saying [to a fan], ‘hey, I just bought your club’.
“I had someone ask me the same question when I bought Botafogo. These clubs have been legendary long before we were alive, walking on this earth.
“You know the opportunity to step into these situations, you know you are only a caretaker. You see documentaries on the history of these clubs and people who have gone before you... you know you're never going to rise to their level in the eyes of the community of these clubs.
“Nobody wakes up and thinks, ‘I get to buy Everton’. But if you decide football is what you want in your life, and then somebody comes along and asks you if you want to become the owner of Everton, it's like someone asking you if you want to be President of the United States. Of course you do.
“But you don't necessarily think that things are realistic. When I grew up and loved football, you didn't choose to watch the MLS which was still developing. You watch the Premier League and great European football.
“My great-grandfather was English so I tended to watch more UK football. My pastor was a Wolves fan so I watched him go through all kinds of agony.
“When I travelled to the UK for business, I would try to watch games - usually at very small clubs, like Leyton Orient or Stockport County. But Everton? I never thought about it as it was like looking at the White House and thinking I'm going to live there some day.
“When it becomes available, obviously I'm not just interested but hopefully we can get it done. It would be quite an honour.”
The Roadblocks Ahead
One major obstacle for Textor is selling his shares in Crystal Palace. He owns 45 per cent of the club, but this stake is only worth one vote in a constituency of four, making it a less than desirable investment. Textor wants a much higher price than his fellow shareholders, and he is yet to find a buyer willing to meet his demands.
Another hurdle is Everton's financial situation. The club is over £1 billion in debt, with much of it owed to Moshiri himself. While Textor is confident he can secure financing, he needs to address the club's significant debt burden, including a contentious £200 million loan from the troubled 777 Partners.
The Premier League's rules add another layer of complexity. Textor cannot own shares in two Premier League clubs at the same time. This means selling his Palace stake is not just a question of price, it's a matter of survival for his Everton bid.
A Question of Timing
The clock is ticking. Textor has a period of exclusivity with Moshiri that expires on November 30th. This tight deadline makes it difficult for Textor to complete the sale of his Palace shares and secure the financing needed to complete the Everton deal.
A High-Stakes Game
Textor is a determined businessman with a track record of success in the sports and technology industries. He believes in the potential of Everton and has made it clear that he is committed to making the club a contender once again. But the path to ownership is fraught with challenges. The question remains: will Textor be able to overcome these hurdles and become the next 'President' of Everton, or will he be left watching from the sidelines?
The End Game
While writing this article, news came in from France that trading in the shares of Lyon’s old holding company, the renamed Eagle Football Group, had been suspended.
The immediate cause was Textor saying a little more than he should have about the plan to delist Eagle Football Group from Euronext Paris, the stock exchange it has traded on since 2007, during his media conference in Lyon.
The mistake was relatively minor and nobody is going to get in trouble or lose any money. But it does confirm that Textor’s original plan has started. The next step will be moving the UK-registered parent company Eagle Football Holding to the U.S. state of Delaware and filing registration papers for a New York IPO by the end of the year.
Whatever is going to happen has started.
It might be chaotic, but Textor has shown he has an appetite for carnage.
Maybe I have underestimated his chances of buying Everton, maybe I haven’t. He is going to try anyway.
Good luck to him and Everton — sincerely.
