Interested Palace investor talks up Everton's potential

Show me.

Not sure why he is talking about it all to be honest because all it does is disrespect the club he currently owns and offers Everton fans nothing more than a "if things had been different maybe this guy would have bought us."

Textor Out. Next.

But we also thought anybody was better than Kenwright.

Just as we thought anybody is better than Peter Johnson.

Moshiri had probably got several Americans interested as Everton only seem to be attracting our transatlantic cousins.

Show me a photo of a man stood next to his Tesla warehouse.

"Everton represents the best of English football; the struggles, the glory and the want. How great would it be to take one of these great English clubs back to a sort of glory?"

In his own words, “The Sleeping Giant” needs awakening, especially with the new stadium ready to offer the club so much scope in the near future.

Whilst it's nice to hear that some silly sod sees it as an exciting opportunity to invest in Everton, we are no closer to having a stable future.

777 Partners haven't got two brass farthings to rub together, the joys of future Everton owners.

But not the ancient one he owns 45%, which is celebrating Selhurst Park's Centenary?

Phoney.

I loved his words though, because I've heard that the people who are trying to purchase Everton, have been sold a similar story. But we all know words are easy, god knows we had enough false ones off that other phoney who is no longer with us.

If I'm not wrong, then I don't understand the antagonism toward this guy; he's a multi-billionaire with previous experience on the board of a Premier League club.

He appreciates the value of historic clubs outside of London and the potential for our club to be resurrected like the proverbial phoenix. Is there something about him or his organisation that I'm missing?

The way Americans and other investment people speak of the Premier League, it's really hard to not envisage a few people wanting to purchase Everton.

Premier League clubs don't come up for sale that often, not established, founder members, never relegated from the Premier League clubs anyway.

Come the end of the month surely the cards will start to be thrown on the table and other investors will have to show their hands if they are interested.

Hopefully there will be some real genuine intent to take over Everton, will happen very soon.

UTFTs!

Is it time for you to name the people you have been talking about for the last few months?

WSJ from December "The American Who Fell in Love With Soccer and Bought Himself $1 Billion of Heartbreak
John Textor acquired four soccer clubs in four countries in the space of two years. It has turned into one of the most expensive crash courses in sports."

Associated Press July 2023

PARIS (AP) — Lyon owner John Textor has attacked a decision by French football's financial watchdog to monitor the club's transfer activities this season.

The DNCG ruled that Lyon did not provide sufficient financial guarantees despite the OL group's latest arguments.

It is nothing but an investment, it could easily be M&S or Sainsbury's they are coming in for. Stan Kroenke of Arsenal hasn't been there for 5 years but he is at every LA Rams game. The Glazers hardly ever come over to watch Man U but take money out.

They probably don't know what shape a football is.

The Premier League's Richard Masters, yes him, according to Private Eye has been lobbying parliament to stop it, lying earlier that he wouldn't be lobbying MPs for or against the bill.

He arranged a drinks reception in parliament for this purpose.
Meanwhile the sport select committee's chair has asked Masters to explain himself.

A Labour MP who sits on the committee Rupa Huq accepted a ticket from the Premier League value £1,250 to the Brit Awards.

The Premier League. The whole thing stinks.

I've no opinion either way on this guy by the way. I thought Palace owner was Steve Parish!

Friends from South London where I lived for some time in the mid-70s while at university, speak highly of both Textor and their new Austrian coach; one of them is acquainted with their former player and current DoF, Dougie Freeman, whom he quotes as being over the moon with said coach and rightly so imo.

Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea were all instrumental in the setting up of the European Super League, wanting league games played abroad, increasing ticket prices year on year, taking the FA Cup out of England etc.

The main attraction will not be the team but the stadium and how much money they can make from concerts, entertainment hubs etc. I know nothing of this chap but, if it does happen, the Americans will have around 14 Premier League clubs owned or partially owned by them. The number needed to vote in changes, should they wish.

I'm still in a negative mood after last season, I suppose. 😊

Shucks, I would even let Oprah take over.

Somebody smells a bargain, I wonder how many more do?

Everton are in the Premier League for the last season at Goodison Park due to the die-hard spirit of Evertonians across the World and Sean Dyche and his coaches and the squad.

A monument of a type regardless of the future is warranted to commemorate this 2023-24 season which has been a miracle of human spirit and belief, defying science.

Everton have defied the odds and defied gravity in Premier League maths. It's time to hold fast and believe. Everton's salvation must be delivered this month.

Seems alright to me and it seems he's been talking to other intersted groups, possibly the two Blues who might also be interested in a gorup being formed. I think the problem is for us, we don't have a say in it and have too sit and read the papers.

He says the right things, we're a great club etc; and he might mean it. But in his current situation, he can't. I think what he's also saying is that others are very likely to be interested.

Well, we'll have to wait until the end of the month, until "Kenwright's Saviour" finds out if anyone will save him... and us!

ps: Interesting, Soren, where did you read that?

If he's got the money sell to him as soon as 777 Partners default on their agreement.

First let's get 777 Partners out of the equation. Six days to go and counting.

It cannot be a bargain unless some if not all of our current creditors (ie, not just Moshiri) accept they are not going to get all their money back and in Moshiri's case, pretty much none of it back apart from maybe keeping the non-BMD real estate.

Unfortunately there is currently little sign of that happening, hence no bargain.

Let's see. We've had Brit Bill Kenwright buy the club out in '99 and proceed to run it about as bad it could be run, missing out on solidifying us as a Top 6 powerhouse.

Then British-Iranian Farhad tried to finish off the club with about the worst mis-management you could possibly have at a football club…

But it'll be an American owner that ruins Everton. Why? Because they might want a return on their investment while the previous two were doing it for altruistic purposes alone.

Crying laughing here.

The Palace guy is an unknown, just as Moshiri was, but he's marginally (compared to nation-state owners) allegedly wealthier than Moshiri. Given that he, and every other club owner, is only interested in increased wealth from their club ownership, what have we, on the very brink of administration and destruction, got to lose if the bugger buys us?

We're in a quicksand folks, in no position to disdain any branch that may merely offer a way to possible, repeat, possible survival.

That's the legacy of the massive injury done to us for decades by that bastard Kenwright.

I suppose it is possible to own several successful clubs at the same time but I would want somebody who dedicates himself to making one of them the very best rather than giving the impression that it is just a way of making more money.

Mind you, we have had one who by all reports made a fortune he never got to enjoy out of it while at the same time one who seems to have lost a packet on the same investment.

How can it be xenophobic to criticize a British colony that has temporarily lost its way?

Mike Gaynes, Jamie Crowley, Dale Self and co will soon realize the error of their ways and pay deference to the almighty leader — King Charles III.

As you say, it would be nice if we could find an owner that wants to concentrate on restoring the greatness of Everton alone but that person does not exist (or at least such a person with deep enough pockets does not exist). We missed the boat on the genuine billionaire sugar daddies some years ago and things moved on.

So we need to find a way to compete with the self-appointed Premier League / Champions League royalty without their resources. The multi-club model offers a way to source and develop top-class players, bypassing some of the excesses of the cripplingly overheated transfer market.

Obviously Leipzig famously do this with Liefering and Salzburg in Austria (as well as other clubs around the world). But Manchester City do it too. This summer they will sign Savio – but really he's already their player. They originally bought him for affiliate club Troyes in France and loaned him to affiliate club Girona in Spain. They do this because even they cannot afford to buy the finished article at market rates all of the time.

Similarly Brighton do it. Their sister club Union Gilloise, also owned by Tony Bloom, has just won the Belgian title for the first time in their history.

Although the model is non-traditional and even arguably distasteful, we will get left even further behind if we continue to go it alone without a more sophisticated way of sourcing and developing players. The multi-club model is the most obvious route. There may be others.

Unfortunately, sticking to a very traditional, non-innovative way of doing things has made it ridiculously easy for more sophisticated and innovative smaller clubs to overtake us.

To others, I've worked for several organisations headquartered in The States. I spent many years working alongside our US military allies. Nothing but respect.

One thing you get from the Americans is professionalism and removal of the emotion. They can leave that to us supporters.

You only have to look across the park if you can stomach it.

The multi-club ownership seems to be a modern theme. It could work well for exchange of players.

Scott @17, Bobby @19, David @28, Barry @36, Robert @45 and Danny @46 – thanks guys for putting a more positive outlook on what might be an important input in to our recovery.

For all those who have been negative, I say, I understand your feelings but negativity gets us nowhere except going to the lowest common denominator, when we should be reaching for the highest common multiple.

I'm interested to read what Mike Gaynes might write about Mr Textor, from his USA knowledge.

Whatever we think, we need to move forward with exactly the right formula, no half-full positions. COYB

We do the same but with knackered players and offer them huge contracts to hide their inadequacies. 🥳

The suggestion seems to be nice billionaires from Europe, Asia and Arabia are in a queue. So let's choose one of them first. Kid's stuff.

The man said himself, it's highly unlikely he'll have time to sell his shares and invest in us. Storm in a tea cup?

The Palace lad speaks nothing but praise for Everton.
Bigs us up. Gives out more information about a lot of background regarding questions we have wanted answering for some time (as opposed to us guessing).

Something that the slimy Moshiri could have done way back, but showed his ineptness by failing to and people see their arse!!!!! What???!!!

We are the most indebted club in the Premier League by a mile. Maybe the world. About as attractive as Cherie Blair after a night on meth & fentanyl.

Owe a global Ponzi scheme hundreds of millions (which takes some doing). Despised by the league we are in. So much so that they dock us points whilst handing the 115's the Premier League winners trophy.

Man. Some people!

Having said that, his take on it is interesting. Of course, it might all be bullshit, but the idea of a club outside London with strong ties to the commmunity, "the struggles, the glory, the want" – he either gets us in a way that we, as fans, get us, or he's been reading ToffeeWeb.

So is it just that Textor and 777 are dodgy as fuck, or is that this whole American multi-club model is fatally flawed and built on slight of hand? Chicken, egg?

Never a dull moment with Everton these days. If the ownership situation drags on into the summer, we can probably say goodbye to Branthwaite, Pickford and Onana, and hello to a few freebies, loans etc. again.

After Leeds were relegated I saw many comments from their fans complaining about their owners. Man Utd fans have been complaining about their owners for years. How many times have the Reds griped about FSG?

Fans appear to want owners who are both very rich but totally hands-off. We basically want their money but not them. But the fact is that any "billionaire" owner always comes with baggage.

Owning and financing a large Premier League club is an expensive business. The days of the local business man are long gone. Now, it's all "consortiums" and dubious foreign billionaires who got their cash under suspicious circumstances, to say the least.

As ordinary fans, we will have next to no say in any of this. All we can do is hope for the best. Because if we are hoping for a super rich "honest man" to take over the club, we are in for a big disappointment.

We are building a fantastic stadium the new jewel in the crown for the city of Liverpool as well as EFC. I doubt our neighbours the Red Soxx gang for example know anything about the city of Liverpool.

Where were their voices of support last season when we were in big trouble, despite us all supporting them in the past for example when things went tragically wrong at Hillsborough???

Sadly, those days of mutual support and friendly rivalry have well gone.

You and Cherie both Speedballing before crashing a meeting between Moshiri and 777 wearing Usmanov masks whilst acting out the infamous robbery scene from Pulp Fiction.

Helps us to attract buyers. Ta for that!

Anyone suspicious of an American owner has a right to be. There’s countless examples of American owners mucking up English football clubs. And yes, they are in it for the investment - they’re businessmen, no evil in that (sans greed if applicable).

Conversely you only need to look across the park to see just one example of solid American ownership.

Any American taking offense to any Brit expressing reservations about American owners is a bit too sensitive for my liking.

Be wary but optimistic of any new owner, be they American or otherwise. But expressing a reservation exclusively of American owners is not xenophobic at all. There’s a culture at play, a way of viewing situations and investments that can absolutely “lean American”. Nothing wrong with pointing that out.

Sensitive types will always be... sensitive.

Jamie Crowley

Stereotypical gun-ho Murican and proud one at that.

Americans got it right 248 years ago.

Maybe it's “If I'm going to take over Everton. I'll need balls this big!” ;)

Remember, The Middle East have no sanctions with Russia, equals Usmanov, which doesn't bother me.

They're blamed for not buying Haaland, Mbappe et al; it doesn't matter how many shirts they sell or how many extra seats they shoehorn into Anfield, they can't afford elite players and they're despised for it. Plus they just have no affinity with fans.

Their ill-judged leadership of the Super League and hiking of ticket prices caused revolts resulting in groveling apologies and fans see a watered-down Hicks and Gillet. Just another crew of Yanks that just don't "get it".

The suspicion is Yank owners think themselves a tad smarter than dullard UK fans and do things that might make economic sense but that alienate the dullard multitudes.

I agree with the Yank philosophy but feel they need to be more open about it. Perhaps getting stuck in via an open letter in the match program with the words "arseholes" and "rats" featuring prominently.

A bit sensitive in pointing out facts?

Erm… okay. Also, I get there have been some previous American owners who have not done well in ownership. But for every one of those, I can find an equally poor “local.”

I frankly don't care where the next owner comes from if they put Everton's best interests first followed by sensible board appointments, financially sound practices so that we never go through this again, and increasing our marketing and commercial prospects.

If that's a UK-based, American, European, etc… owner, I don't care. Their location doesn't matter much to me.

He doesn't. He is a smoke and mirrors guy, leverage this from X to buy into Y.

Google Lyon and financial statements and see what he's done to them.

Our chairman didn't let him loose with Palace assets. We fought him about trying to lump his shares into investment vehicles.

Honestly fella be might be better than what you currently have but imo his empire is built on a house of cards.

I hope you get an owner who actually has clean money. Really hard in this day and age tho.

No idea if he'll even be able to sell 45% of Palace.

Maybe the development with the Palace guy may have something to do with ESP taking temporary control subject to renegotiating the loans and getting the club into shape.

On the subject of nationality of ownership, personally speaking, I don't give a fuck where they are from as long as they have people running the club that understand the game and can manage the club well.

We have extreme examples of good and bad. Randy Lerner at Villa who got personally involved and didn't have a clue: and FSG who sought out top football directors and management and let them run the club.

We all know why EFC went wrong with an absentee owner who interfered from his Monaco base and an egotistic greedy conman who enriched himself with his own self-indulgence of presiding over the club for 25 years.

Anyway, I hope we will know where we are going in just over a weeks time.

Everton's finances and corporate structures need to be restructured. Individual investors would be more of the same. In the case of Moshiri, he appears to have done the opposite or not have done what he should have done most of the time.

This has emerged following French football's financial watchdog, the DNCG, demanding that John Textor finds an additional €60M to inject into Olympique Lyonnais before 30 June, or else face sanctions from the governing body.

Having said that, I hope this fella's revelations about a sleeping giant and its potential may just stir up interest from further afield!

Time is getting perilously close though to the deadline.

The Yanks haven't got too much right in the last 248 years have you? So why don't you leave football to us little Englanders?

Do you reckon the Premier League would sniff us out if Moshiri paid 777 their money back, 777 bought Palace shares, and Moshiri gets his money back off the Palace guy?/p>

"ps: Interesting Soren, where did you read that?"

According to Alan Nixon on https://www.patreon.com/ and The Business Desk.

Andy Bell sells £28M of shares in company he founded

I also hope if and when it does get sorted that we have an owner who doesn't interfere, with "Let's buy X, Y and Z", sacks the manager, and go for a more recognised name.

Sean Dyche has worked miracles this season; it hasn't been pretty for much of it but, despite two lots of point deductions, we have still finished with plenty of breathing space.

I also hope that money will be provided in plenty of time to bolster the squad, hang on to Branthwaite, McNeil, Garner etc. A few have contracts expiring (high earners); let them go and reduce the age of the squad considerably but still retaining the likes of Coleman and Tarkowski!

Though by all means keep trying to find out.

While the new owners wait ratification — Who calls the shots? Who makes the big decisions that need to be made? We have literally a few weeks to balance the books regarding P&S and Dyche and Thelwell will need clarity over possible expenditure.

I know you can be something of a worry-wort, but I'm curious now:

"Who calls the shots? Who makes the big decisions that need to be made?"

Sorry but how is this any different than the past 8 months? Or are you saying – like many others on here for months now – that we "have no board"? [Spoiler alert: We have.]

We also probably have some sort of executive managerial structure within the club who actually do most of the work.

Now whether any of these folk are the right people to be doing this, or are calling the right shots, I couldn't possibly say… but I'm pretty sure they exist, are in position, and will continue in position… that is until your other Domesday scenario of administration takes hold.

Today we are in a different world whether or not we like it and football is now just the same as any other business. There are good and bad owners and good and bad organisations and individuals running those businesses. For every bad American business there is more than likely a bad European one. We have had a few bad ones.

What has to be remembered is that whoever decides to invest in Everton will, quite rightly expect a return on that investment over time and as long as he (they) do the necessary and don't bleed the Club dry in the process then that is to be expected and welcomed as it means that the Club is being operated properly and profitably.

The new owner(s) will come to the Club with a clean sheet. Time will tell whether they are good or bad but if you consider and reflect on the track record of our recent, and not so recent, owners I think you would be right to decide that our UK owners have not been the best (understatement). Moshiri, a dual British citizen, maybe started with the best of intentions but hadn't got a clue and made a pigs ear of it. Were any Yanks involved we can blame. No.

History tells us much if we bother to have a look at it. My take on it is that you learn by observing and never take anything as read or what you are told and only time will enable the truth to emerge.

Fingers crossed with the hope that we are lucky this time around. We are due a change of fortune.

Maybe this will affect his thinking… Usmanov back on board? Am I paranoid???

Seriously though, there's no chance of a ceasefire with the conditions that half-wit is putting forward.

His 45% stake of Crystal Palace + cash (the amount could certainly take some time to agree upon)

For

MSP's £220M loan ownership (some reports cited £160M?)

When the Swap is done:

1) Textor can get rid of his Crystal Palace ownership in the quickest fashion and immediately convert the ownership of that MSP Loan into 50% + 1 share of Everton Football Club

2) MSP, never having a single iota of interest running a Premier League Club (let alone one with horrendous debt), would see their investment transferred to a much more sound Premier League Club (as painful as I typed this) and immediately become a Partner with major say alongside fellow American and competent sports team owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer (who own a portfolio of other top tier sports Team in the NBA & NHL).

Jeff Moorad, CEO of MSP, used to be a Super Agent and has established a relationship with Harris and Blitzer. So that surely would clear a lot of hurdles (though Steve Parrish, current Chairman of Palace, is one very tough cookie to deal with. Hence, Textor's wish to get out of Palace)

So, a win-win situation.

I am reminded of the famous quote attributed to Deng Xiaoping – "It doesn't matter whether a cat is white or black, as long as it catches mice”!

I have never heard that term worry wort, but if it means I worry about my club passionately then I will own up to being a worry wort.

The doomsday scenario of administration isn't just my scenario, many more qualified people than me have raised that prospect, and just to be clear that is the last thing I want to happen. But to bury your head in the sand and completely rule it out is classic head-in-the-sand thinking.

You also say we 'probably' have a managerial structure in place, well maybe you could share who is in that structure and what part they play. Colin Chong was brought in by the club to oversee the stadium build, not to be an interim CEO.

What part other directors play I have no idea and therein lies why I questioned who was making the decisions, as even Sean Dyche seems completely in the dark over what budget he has, if any.

My guess is that Rights & Media Funding are going to be the biggest stumbling block because 777 Partners will just want as much of their money back as possible whereas The Mozarts of Money, are hopefully going to be getting their tap completely turned off.

The club has a large structural debt v assets, but the debt can be restructured over a longer term. In fact, it will have to as the unsecured debt that 777 and Moshiri are exposed to will never be repaid if we go into administration.

Those with secured debt (Rights & Media Funding and MSP) will also need to be sensible, and I think they can be persuaded. Otherwise, they will have security on something that will be difficult to dispose of.

I'm confident something will be sorted out one way or another, we have had the club carved up in different ownership ways for most of the club's existence… why not now?

It's likely an agreement with MSP, who have already invested in the club, and Moshiri would fund the club short-term until Textor is in a position to complete the purchase.

Textor would buy the club, is my understanding.

Interesting if true, will there be any funds available for players? Unlikely I would think without selling at least one player.

When is the fixture list out?

Lili Von Shtupp: "Hello, cowboy. What's your name?"

Tex: "Tex, ma'am!"

Lili Von Shtupp: "Texmam? Tell me, Texmam, are you in show business?"

Tex: "Well, no..."

Lili Von Shtupp: "Then why don't you get your fwiggin' feet off the stage?"

The ring-fenced cash is on its way, ahem!

Or simply gift them to his wife or whoever. Isn't that basically what Moshiri did with his Arsenal shares.

I would think he would need the money from the sale of his Palace shares before he could even think of buying Everton. If this was to happen, I can't see it being done until at least the end of the year.

Till that happens we drift along unable to compete in the transfer market.

Also, I believe his shares in Palace have been up for sale for a while, so him getting involved is dependent on him selling his shares.

And now he has declared why he wants to sell, I am sure prospective buyers of his Palace shares will no doubt try and get them for a bit less than they're worth knowing that time is critical.

He also mentions working with other groups to help him purchase the club, I presume that would include MSP and, seeing that Rights & Media Funding objected to 777 and MSP buying the club, I wonder what their stance would be on Textor and MSP buying the club?

What I find more staggering is why one of the Qatari families is not snapping us up and having their fun with a Premier League team on the banks of the Royal Blue Mersey.

I find that very odd. What's not to love about our club? Kenwright's gone, hasn't he?

Just curious: when you say "Everton FC fansite", can you say what site that is? Thanks!

Yes of course, the site is on Facebook and actually calls itself “Everton FC”. They use a sort of blue badge type of crest which has “Everton FC” across the top and “NSNO” across the bottom.

No idea how credible they are, it was the reference to Alan Myers that made me take notice.

Hope this helps.

It's quite simple: Textor loans the money to MSP who hold the shares for him until he has sold his Palace shares.

Palace shares are probably on a high right now given where they eneded the season so I don't think he will have much trouble unloading them.

And I add the Premier League have apparently said they would give him a period of grace to sell his Palace shares if he invested in Everton too.

He a bit silly telling everyone where he would like to invest his palace money. Money men will wipe the floor with him to get his shares on the cheap.

I don't think he will be too bothered not getting his full amount back. He could take overall control of Everton Football Club, get a stadium naming rights, bigger sponsorship coming in, more commercial value, more revenue on increased season ticket sales, hiring the stadium out… no wonder he wants out of Palace for Everton.

Still may be shite I know but the information posted was claimed to be a quote made by Alan Myers which suggests there may be something to it. There again…

I agree that our best chance to compete is as part of a well-run multi-club model. We an send some of our youngsters out to get proper first-team football and bring over anyone showing promise.