Everton chairman Bill Kenwright has broken his silence on Farhad Moshiri’s recent share purchase at Everton, claiming the Iranian tycoon merely wanted to cement his position at the club.
Moshiri increased his stake in the club yesterday from 49.9% to 68.6%, taking up an option to buy more shares nine months earlier than originally agreed.
Kenwright has now opened up on the move from Moshiri, believing that it has little importance and commenting on whether there was an ulterior motive to the decision.
In an interview with Talksport, he said: “I don’t think there’s a massive significance. He had an option to buy next May and he’s decided to take it earlier.
“I don’t have to tell you the commitment he’s given to Everton, both in terms of time and finance, – he’s put hundreds of millions into the club – and I think there was a part of him now that wanted that extra shareholding with the new stadium coming up.
“I think it will help in that it’s further finance for the club, but I don’t know if he did it with massive ulterior motives.”
OPINION
It is interesting to hear Kenwright’s take on the share purchase, with the Everton chairman thought to be one of the investors who have seen their stake decrease as a result. As he states, there is likely to be little significance to this move in the long run, with Moshiri scheduled to take up such an option in nine months time anyway. And, as Kenwright states, with the club in the process of deciding upon a new stadium, Moshiri was probably keen to cement his position as majority shareholder before all that takes place. The club will obviously have to spend a lot of money on a new ground, but the value of Everton as a whole will increase hugely once they have moved into a bigger, more modern stadium. The most interesting words from Kenwright here though are his comment on a potential ulterior motive, with the chairman admitting he doesn’t know if Moshiri does possess any. That could be potentially seen as worrying for the club should it be so.