Journalist David Hughes has admitted that he can envisage a “pretty difficult summer” at Everton.
Hughes was speaking on the All Together Now podcast amid reports that former Peter Kenyon is leading a consortium with the hope of buying the club.
The news emerged just a week after current owner Farhad Moshiri apologised to Evertonians for what was a “challenging” campaign that almost saw the club relegated to the Championship.
The business tycoon increased his stake in the club to 94.1% back in January, and in his apology, reinforced his commitment to delivering a “fully-funded” £500m stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, but it is thought there is a real chance the Iranian-born businessman could relinquish control of the club, with an asking price reportedly set at £500m.
As Frank Lampard and his Everton side prepare for the new season, this update couldn’t have come at a worse time, and Hughes is expecting Moshiri to keep the purse strings closed.
Will Moshiri sell Everton?
Yes
No
He said: “It will be interesting to see what Everton have got to spend this summer, because Moshiri obviously won’t be wanting to put any more money in.
“Even if a takeover happens, it’s not going to happen overnight. Dare I say, it could be a pretty difficult summer again, and that’s a problem because the squad needs to be improved massively so we don’t have a repeat of what happened last season.”
TIF Thoughts on Everton…
It was a gut-wrenching campaign for the Toffees last season, and despite their vast investment of over £500m on transfers since February 2016, they are going backwards, and a proposed takeover could spell catastrophe if not dealt with swiftly.
Star striker Richarlison has already made it clear that he wishes to move on this summer, with Tottenham thought to be eyeing a bid – while the group will need strengthening, as Hughes pointed out.
However, Moshiri has already invested heavily in the squad to no reward, and it may be a case of having to wait for the ownership to change before the Toffees can spend.
Everton will kick off their Premier League campaign on 6th August, but just over seven weeks out from kick-off, things are already looking bleak.