Everton have distanced themselves from the controversial comments of potential new owner John Textor after the current Crystal Palace supremo publicly discussed the future of manager Sean Dyche.
Textor is in talks to buy Farhad Moshiri’s 94.1 per cent majority stake in the Goodison Park club and went on record on Wednesday to say he is close to selling his shares in current club Palace to pursue a deal to take over Everton.
The 58-year-old discussed the future of Dyche – he said he would consult the boss to see if he could adapt to Textor’s strategy – as well as the new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock. He also likened the chance to take over Everton to becoming president of the United States.
But Everton have distanced themselves from Textor’s comments and insisted that there remains ‘some work to be done’ to complete the transaction.
Interim chief executive Colin Chong wrote: ‘The club is aware of the comments made by John Textor in relation to a potential purchase.
Businessman John Textor believes he is close to becoming majority shareholder at Everton
The 58-year-old has been given a period of exclusivity by current shareholder Farhad Moshiri
‘While positive conversations and progress continues to be made with Mr Textor to formalise any deal, there remains some work to be done to complete the transaction. Accordingly, the comments made by Mr Textor merely represent his personal view on Club matters.
‘Everyone at the club is staying focused on providing the best support possible to Sean and the squad as we head into the weekend’s fixture.
‘The Club will provide updates in respect of new investment when there is material news to communicate to supporters and other stakeholders – and this will be done through official Club channels.’
The American businessman is chairman of Eagle Football Group, which holds stakes in both Crystal Palace and French side Lyon, in addition to three other clubs. But he claimed on Wednesday a deal to buy Everton would 90 per cent get completed.
‘The potential acquisition of Everton would come from my own funding,’ Textor told RMC Sport.
‘The deal that is being discussed would be me as the buyer and not Eagle Football. The buyer of Everton would be John Textor. I would be the investor.
‘A new holding company would be created. There would be no impact on OL Group. The acquisition would be done with equity if it goes well. There is a 90 per cent chance of reaching an agreement, but the current owner of Everton has a lot of choices.’
Textor is chairman at the Eagle Football Group who hold stakes in both Crystal Palace and Lyon
Sean Dyche has been the Everton manager since January 2023, taking charge of 67 games
Textor likened the chance to take over Everton to becoming president of the United States
On selling his Palace stakes, Textor added: ‘We have 14 groups interested in Palace who are very qualified and we have five that went to the next level and now we have two who have made good bids while there is also the possibility that our partners might still want it as they love the club as much as I do.
‘We’re into the final week or two of knowing who the buyer will be. The contract I have with Farhad gives us a lot of time for that as November 30 is our deadline set to make sure we can complete it.
‘Nobody wakes up and thinks, “I get to buy Everton”. But if you decide football is what you want in your life, and then somebody comes along and asks you if you want to become the owner of Everton, it’s like someone asking you if you want to be President of the United States.
‘Of course, you do. When it becomes available, obviously I’m not just interested but hopefully we can get it done. It would be quite an honour.’
Textor claims he has an exclusivity agreement with Everton, though sources close to Moshiri have never confirmed this.