Friedkin Group exploring sale of Everton less than two years after takeover
The Friedkin Group (TFG) has told supporters it is exploring the sale of Everton Football Club on 2026-10-09, less than two years after completing a takeover in 2024, the owners said. Everton sit seventh in the Premier League after seven matches.
TFG completed its 2024 takeover in a deal believed to be worth in excess of £400m and has pointed to stabilising the club, investing and the opening of Everton's new stadium last year as reasons for now looking at new options, saying the time is right "to consider the next chapter". The group is led by chairman Dan Friedkin, while day-to-day running is left to his son-in-law Rishi Majithia, who works alongside chief executive Angus Kinnear. When they assumed control, TFG set out a vision for a "sustainable and successful" future for the club.
"The Friedkin Group is exploring new investment options for Everton Football Club, including the potential sale of a controlling interest," TFG said in a statement. "When TFG became custodians of Everton, the club faced significant financial uncertainty and challenges both on and off the pitch. The immediate priority was to provide the stability, investment and support needed to secure the club's future, including helping to bring the long-promised stadium to completion for its deserving supporters. "With that foundation now safely in place, the time is right to consider the next chapter for Everton."
TFG's leadership came under scrutiny during the summer transfer window after a series of moves and near-moves unsettled supporters. In September, David Moyes said he had never met or spoken to Friedkin, who is based in Houston, since returning as manager in January 2025, and fans reacted angrily when Everton accepted a £40m bid from Nottingham Forest for England Under-19 midfielder Harrison Armstrong before later pulling out of the deal. The club also sold Beto to Fiorentina, leaving Everton with just one recognisable striker in 23-year-old Frenchman Thierno Barry.
The failed sale of Armstrong and the earlier departure of Iliman Ndiaye to Manchester City for £65m were cited alongside what the article described as a cautious approach to the transfer market that suggested limited ambition from TFG. Those moves were contrasted with the more hands-on approach at AS Roma, the other club owned by TFG, which the statement said benefits from Champions League revenue.
TFG secured a 99.5% stake in Everton when it succeeded former owner Farhad Moshiri in 2024 after the club had fallen into financial crisis. Since the takeover, TFG says it has put the club on a stable financial footing and Everton have moved into a new stadium — a project the statement acknowledged had been effectively completed before TFG's arrival — making the club attractive to potential buyers. The article said that ensuring the club's financial stability and the stadium opening will be TFG's main achievement and described their tenure as likely to be regarded as unspectacular when a sale occurs.
Former Everton goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis, speaking on 5 Live Breakfast, described the Friedkin Group's plans to sell as a "shock" and praised the stabilisation work the owners had completed. "It's come as a bit of a shock. They have stabilised the club. There was so much financial uncertainty when they arrived, it's felt like a turbulent time," she said. "We [Everton] have a stadium to be crazily proud of, it's going to generate revenue from a commercial point of view. "If the Friedkin Group sells up tomorrow, they have left the club in a much better place. I just hope that they do their due diligence. "I hope the new owners want to drive the club forward. Everton fans have spent too much time in a financially turbulent era."
TFG added it will only "entertain interest from parties who we strongly believe will be the right stewards to take the club forward" and said, "Throughout this process, TFG's focus will remain unchanged. We will support the club in all ways necessary to achieve success on the pitch and will continue efforts to make a positive difference in the communities the club serves."
