Speaking exclusively to Everton News, Il Romanista journalist Andrea Di Carlo, who covers all things Roma, shared what Toffees fans can expect from the Friedkin Group.
On Thursday morning, The Friedkin Group completed their Everton takeover, purchasing Farhad Moshiri’s majority stake in the club.
Everton’s website released a statement, confirming the acquisition, which read.
“Everton Football Club has been acquired by Roundhouse Capital Holdings Limited (Roundhouse), an entity within The Friedkin Group (TFG).
“The transaction was finalised following an agreement between Farhad Moshiri’s Blue Heaven Holdings (BHH) and Roundhouse for the sale of BHH’s majority stake in the Club.”
There is great excitement among Everton staff at Friedkin’s arrival and that feeling is shared among most supporters, too.
Though, there is a cloud of doubt for many because of how their tenure at Roma has gone so far.
Roma are currently languishing in 12th, having sacked two managers already this season, with Claudio Ranieri the latest man to take charge of I Giallorossi.
So, to get the lowdown on what to expect from the Friedkin Group at Everton, we’ve got the expert opinion of Andrea Di Carlo, a Roma journalist.
Friedkin Group will delegate responsibilities at Everton
Di Carlo first spoke about the role he expects the Friedkin’s to have at Everton.
“First of all, from the information we have gathered, the Friedkin’s will not be at the forefront of Everton’s investments, they will act more as owners than as presidents (hence the appointment of Marc Watts, the Friedkins’ trusted accountant, as Executive Chairman),” the Il Romanista journalist said.
“They will remain on the Roma board, they will not enter with any role in that of your club: in essence, Roma belongs to Dan Friedkin, Everton belongs to The Friedkin Group.
“But they will choose their men to best manage the team.”
Mega-money signings expected
Roma outlaid a whopping £76m in the summer, which for an Italian side, is a significant investment.
Di Carlo expects the Friedkin’s to heavily invest at Everton, too, with some mega-money signings on the horizon.
“What to expect? Big names, for sure,” Di Carlo said.
“They will try to involve some important names or some names that Everton fans can identify with.
“They are aiming a lot for popular consensus, they will listen to the fans on issues such as the logo, the brand of the shirts, they will focus a lot on merchandising and they will have the revenue from the new stadium they own on their side.
“And they will invest, without a doubt, as they have always done in Rome. Important investments in the transfer market, to strengthen the team to try to bring it permanently to the top of the league.”
The Friedkin’s could make too many changes
Asked about the negatives Everton could face with the Friedkin’s arrival, the Italian journalist noted that they could replace too many staff, creating instability – which Roma have experienced during their reign.
“They will delegate to their trusted men, who have not always proven to be up to the task,” Di Carlo admitted.
“From the marketing department to the media department, the management structure
in Rome has changed too many times, in the summer there was a real revolution, even the former CEO Lina Souloukou paid the price.
“In short, there is a risk of having little stability in the men in charge.”
- READ MORE: 3 key decisions the Friedkin Group must immediately make at Everton as takeover announced
Ambition to bring success at Everton, Roma and Cannes
Finally, Di Carlo summarised by explaining that the American investors are incredibly ambitious people and have a dream to bring glory at Roma, Everton and Cannes.
“But the Friedkins remain a very ambitious group, they want to excel in every field in which they invest, from cinema to sports, let alone in the most fascinating championship in the world like the Premier League.
“It will take some time but soon we will understand how their football galaxy (Roma, Everton and Cannes) will have the opportunity to develop.”
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