Well, who would have seen this coming?
Everton fans always say that there's never a dull week at the club, and even when the players are largely still on holiday after a tough 2021/22 season that remains the case. Even so, just days after Farhad Moshiri apologetically addressed supporters about the previous campaign and his commitment for the future, not many would have guessed there would soon be rumours of a possible takeover.
Just when you thought you could relax from thinking about the Blues. That'll teach you for not thinking that something is always just around the corner.
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But, of course, the extent of this is all still far from clear. On Monday evening, reports first broke in The Telegraph that a consortium led by former Manchester United and Chelsea chief Peter Kenyon was in talks with the view to launching a surprise takeover bid at Goodison Park.
Reportedly the group includes the chief executive of Minneapolis-based Talon Real Estate, Maciek Kaminski, and American businessman John Thornton. The consortium is believed to be taking advice from US law firm Weil, Gotshal and Manges along with investment specialist Michael Klein.
Various other outlets have confirmed these rumours, with some suggesting that there could be as many as four parties potentially interested in submitting a bid for Everton. Moshiri, meanwhile, has refused to comment - this time even turning down the chance to speak after a text from Jim White, which shows a level of growth that fans will no doubt appreciate.
And, at this stage at the very least, not commenting on these reports is probably the right way to go about things. Nobody knows how far these talks have gone - a description of "positive" from White when he referenced those close to the Everton owner seems deliberately vague at this point.
In modern football "positive talks" could mean all manner of things, whether you're talking about a potential takeover of a club or even a transfer of a player. "Positive talks" could easily mean that initial contact has been made, or one level of common ground has been found - but often matters end up so much more complex than that.
So Moshiri staying quiet at this stage probably shouldn't be read into all that much. You can't decipher whether his silence means there's a more likely sale or not.
All you can look towards at this stage is the most recent comments the majority shareholder made to the fans. It was less than a week ago that the billionaire penned a long open letter to supporters, admitting his own mistakes in the past and making clear that he wants to learn from them in the future.
He's already made huge financial commitments over his time at Everton, not only in terms of the talent on the pitch but with a new stadium to consider in that as well. It's understood that those inside the club right now are keen to focus on those aspects, rather than any talk of a takeover.
Moshiri wrote last week : "I am committed to securing the future success of the Club by delivering a fully-funded stadium that will underpin our status as a leading club. Our new stadium project at Bramley-Moore Dock has reached an exciting and landmark stage as it emerges from the ground, with the four main cores now in place.
"Of course, the stadium alone will not help us achieve our objectives and we are committed to not making the same mistakes again including how we have not always spent significant amounts of money wisely."
What sticks out in that section is the word "committed", used twice in a short space. There's no reason to suggest that the owner didn't firmly believe in what he was writing, but now he has the opportunity to cement that even further.
There's no real need for him to prove himself in a sense, because just look at the financial backing he's already provided in his six years on Merseyside. Granted that money hasn't always been spent in the right ways, but it has always been there - and there would likely not be so much exciting progress on a state-of-the-art new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock if it wasn't for Moshiri either.
The last year has been a turbulent one for Everton to say the least, with difficult questions being asked of everyone at every level of the club including those high up in the boardroom. But the majority shareholder's open letter last week was seen by many as a much-needed clean slate.
He'd admitted his mistakes, he'd committed to not making them again, he'd reaffirmed his desire to pump yet more money into the club to help build a new stadium - and many were ready to accept that and move on into the future. This level of uncertainty so shortly afterwards would absolutely not have been anticipated.
But this takeover news has been met with confusion more than anything else. There doesn't seem to be a huge desire among the majority of fans for the consortium that is being touted at this stage.
It might not come by way of another open letter, but this is a great chance for Moshiri to cement the commitment that he has already spoken of so recently. In many ways you might understand a desire to sell given the amount of his money that's been wasted in the past, and there could be a sense of cutting his losses now.
It doesn't feel the right time for the club, however, and that should play a huge factor. After the turmoil of the last year, with constant changes and controversies at a lot of levels, wouldn't it be nice to just have at least some sense of stability for a while?
