Farhad Moshiri insists Everton are NOT for sale and promises to work 24 hours a day to arrest their current slump.
The Toffees owner has been under intense scrutiny in recent months, with supporter unrest and numerous demonstrations. That had led to speculation that the tycoon had put the Premier League club up for sale, just days after sacking manager Frank Lampard.
But Moshiri claims those suggestions are wide of the mark and that rather than sell the club, he is close to securing an investment to help finance their £500million new stadium.
“The club is not for sale, but I’ve been talking to top investors of real quality to bridge a gap on the stadium,” Moshiri said to the club’s Fan Advisory Board earlier this month. I can do it myself. The reason I want to do it is to bring top sport investors into Everton. We are close to having a deal done.
“It is not selling the club at all, it is just bringing more expertise in terms of global sponsorship, commercial development. A lot of specialist sport investors have this pool of knowledge and it is to secure that for Everton.”
Moshiri’s update comes after Jamie Carragher ripped into Everton’s hierarchy, labelling the relegation candidates as “the worst run club in football.”
"I've just said that it was right to change the manager," the Sky Sports pundit explained. "But nobody knows a football club better than its own supporters. The supporters haven't got banners in the crowd for Frank Lampard – they've got them for [owner] Farhad Moshiri and the board.
"I said on this programme about six to 12 months ago: Everton are the worst-run club in the country. And it wasn't a flippant remark, I believed it. And I'm not saying that as an ex-Liverpool player. I'm saying it as an ex-Everton fan.”
But Moshiri is adamant he is still the man to take Everton forward, despite the imminent threat of dropping to the Championship. He said that his track record proved he was willing to make the difficult choices to help navigate the club through a pivotal period in their history.
“This is the most critical time in our history. It is almost an existential point,” Moshiri added. “I have faith in this board. In the past I have removed directors and appointed directors. I’m not shy to make changes. We make changes when there is a need.
“We will be ruthless. We need to be calm and we need to go beyond our current position on the pitch. I feel the pain. I hear what the fans say. They have points. We will be addressing them. I don’t miss anything. I have a list of all the points.
“I am committed to this club, not just to this stadium but to join the elite. But I need your help. The fans are the most important part of the Everton institution. We need to go through this together – only we can go through this together.
“Everton has been dependent on Goodison and the 12th man. I know that we are much the weaker without the full-hearted support of the fans and I will do whatever it takes to get the fans on board. I’m on it 24 hours a day.”
