The first 28 days of TFG…
Simon Harrison reviews what has and has not happened in the first 28 days since The Friedkin Group became the new owners of Everton Football Club

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Here we are, 28 days into The Friedkin Group’s ownership of our football club, which also marks 28 days into their ‘reported’ 100-day operational review period for newly acquired assets.

Here’s the story so far: TFG officially took over on 19 December 2024. On takeover day, our new executive owner, Dan Friedkin, made a statement, followed by announcements of changes to the Board of Directors. Marc Watts, the newly appointed Executive Chairman, then shared his own introductory statement.

Both statements were impressive, mixing the right amount of platitudes with the direction the new ownership aims to take the club. They even presented a detailed six-point plan for achieving this vision, which hopefully lifted the spirits of both players and fans alike. There was genuine hope that this would mark the awakening of the Royal Blue Sleeping Giant—yet, here we are.

One noticeable absence was the announcement of a new CEO, with Colin Chong still serving as interim. Media speculation quickly grew that Lina Souloukou, former CEO of AS Roma, would be joining Everton in the same role.

There’s also the question of whether they might be convinced to sell Mangala at a lower price, though it’s unclear if he’s seen as an elite enough player moving forward. Personally, I have my doubts.

Moreover, TFG has brought back a 61-year-old manager with a potentially divisive reputation and a record that may not inspire much confidence.

I’m not suggesting we’re in trouble or that I’m panicking, but it does seem that a professional organisation with access to Everton’s financial records since June 2024, and who reached a takeover agreement with Farhad Moshiri on 23 September, could have planned better. At the moment, things feel a bit underwhelming and reactionary.

While I understand they couldn’t make major changes until the takeover was fully approved, there’s something to be said for planning ahead. If their only candidate for CEO was Souloukou, then that’s poor foresight. In my training, we learned about tertiary redundancy—having backup plans in case one option fails, which provides time to resolve issues.

The current state of the playing staff and the club’s financial troubles aren’t directly their fault. However, credit must go to both Kevin Thelwell and TFG for helping us avoid further PSR penalties up to this point, though the decision on stadium interest payments is still pending.

Now, the club faces a crucial decision in the final 15 days of the January Transfer Window: Should they stay within the PSR limits through 30 June 2025, or should they gamble on acquiring talent to secure Premier League survival this season? This is a massive decision.

As many have pointed out, relegation no longer feels like an ‘existential threat’ due to the fiscal mismanagement of previous ownership. Still, it would be a significant blow to TFG’s reputation, and to Dan Friedkin personally, not to mention the potential derailment of plans for the new stadium if we’re still in the Premier League.

As I’m often reminded, I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.

MSNfootballNews

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