Everton owners consider sale less than two years after takeover
David Moyes says he was surprised as the Friedkin Group considers the club’s next chapter
Liverpool: Everton's American owners are considering selling the Premier League club less than two years after they took control.
The Texas-based Friedkin Group said in a statement on Friday it was exploring new investment options, "including the potential sale of a controlling interest".
The Friedkin Group, which also owns Serie A club Roma, paid a reported £400 million ($529 million) to purchase Farhad Moshiri's 94.1 percent stake in December 2024.
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They oversaw Everton's move from Goodison Park to the new 53,000-capacity Hill Dickinson Stadium last year.
"When TFG became custodians of Everton, the club faced significant financial uncertainty and challenges both on and off the pitch," Everton's statement said.
"With that foundation now safely in place, the time is right to consider the next chapter for Everton.
"We will only entertain interest from parties who we strongly believe will be the right stewards to take the club forward and build on the momentum that has been established."
Everton, ever-present in the English top-flight since 1954, have finished 13th in the past two Premier League seasons under manager David Moyes.
But the club's owners came under fire after a poor summer transfer window.
The late collapse of a deal to sign Monaco striker Folarin Balogun left Everton with just one recognised striker in Thierno Barry.
Moyes only found about Friedkin's possible sale on Friday and, just hours later, the Scot told reporters he was "pretty surprised".
"Maybe after the way things sort of worked out over the transfer window I probably would have seen through it a bit before that, and it's probably there for all Evertonians to see now," he said.
"Probably you could tell how I've been a lot over the summer time that that's the way it's been. It has been a difficult summer for us.
"I was surprised because they (The Friedkin Group) only came in a year-and-a-half ago. I think most owners come in a lot longer than that. I think we were all expecting them to be here for the next 20 to 30 years.
"I truly believed we had new ownership who were in it completely with us all."
Moyes, 63, said he had not thought about how the potential sale of the club would affect his future, with his contract up at the end of the season.
In September, Moyes said he had never met or spoken to Dan Friedkin, CEO of the Friedkin Group, who is yet to attend a home game.
