Everton’s challenges go beyond the boardroom as the trio attract significant transfer interest

The season isn’t over yet, but Everton are already preparing for a challenging summer.

This week’s headlines centered on the anticipated collapse of the 777-partner takeover deal, which has been fought out for eight painful months. A resolution on ownership – and with it the leadership vacuum at the top of the club – is crucial.

Behind the scenes, the club appears to be positioning itself for other significant battles as well. Everton’s final season at Goodison Park will be heavily defined by the events of the coming weeks and what happens before the first ball of the new campaign is even kicked.

READ MORE: Everton takeover Q&A: bid 777 partners, Farhad Moshiri, MSP Sports Capital role, administration

READ MORE: Everton face brutal transfer reality as key 16-day window approaches after second points deduction

The key issue is undoubtedly takeover. A series of developments surrounding 777 partners put their plans in jeopardy. High-profile allegations against the outfit filed in a $600 million fraud case in New York remain just that — unanswered allegations currently filed in a civil case — but have added to concerns about business activities more groups and their ability to find the necessary money. first complete the deal and second run the club sustainably.

But real and tangible signs that a deal could be on the horizon include the group’s Australian airline Bonza going into voluntary administration, alleged payment problems with a PR firm used throughout the Everton bid and the need for an extension to the payment deadline to meet the Premier League Conditions for signing the takeover. The Blues are understood to have the resources to take the club through to the transfer window, when they can sell players to raise operating funds, and will have merit payments and TV money on the horizon, but the long-term health and stability of the club looks more and more dependent on a step forward to a new owner.

The events of the last two weeks have made one thing clear – Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell will have to prepare for a summer without stability above them. Budgets, strategy and expectations will need to be fluid and contingency plans developed for different scenarios.

It has long been known in the football world and reported as such by the ECHO that Everton are facing another tough summer. Transfer funds will be limited and the focus will likely be on what money can be generated and how the squad can be rebuilt after what could include significant departures. It’s not all bad news. The expiry of several long and expensive contracts will give director of football Thelwell an opportunity to bring in new players while reducing the wage bill. It will be his first chance to make the team since being appointed more than two years ago. This is a chance to create a squad that makes sense and that boss Dyche can have more confidence in after inheriting an expensively assembled, battered and disjointed Frankenstein unit representing the varying ambitions of the many different managers and directors of football in the Farhad era Moshira.

Players will be sold, make no mistake. Thelwell noted as much in his program notes ahead of the game against Sheffield United – a clear attempt to manage expectations in a tough summer: “While we want to make sure the team is as competitive as possible, we can’t lose sight of our objective central. to protect the long-term stability of the club. That means players will be sold and also that every tool at our disposal will be used to secure new additions to the squad, including using the loan market. Both Sean and I understand the responsibility we have – and it is a responsibility that must be our priority. It may not be exciting to hear, but in our current circumstances it is the right thing for Everton.”

The January transfer window was a landmark one for the Blues as it was the first for some time without the sale of a key player – think Richarlison, Anthony Gordon and Alex Iwobi in the previous three windows.

This summer, every player is likely to have a price tag and the question is whether the money raised will be available for Dyche and Thelwell. Artists such as Jarrad Branthwaite, Amadou Onana and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are already attracting significant interest. Everton’s squad has talent in it and players who are worth serious money – even if only a fraction of them are made available to the recruitment team, they could still amount to valuable and useful offers.

How much is collected and what proportion of it is available for reconstruction are questions that need peak stability to be answered. But early transfer business is expected regardless of the club’s income. That’s because the football financial year ends on June 30 – the deadline for clubs to reach their profitability and sustainability thresholds. Everton’s accounts for the current year are not publicly available, but losses of £89m last year are of great concern. Cases brought to the Premier League club suggest the Blues face a battle to meet their three-year, £105m loss limit for the third consecutive season. Thelwell hinted at this in his notes, writing: “It’s also important to be completely honest with you. The reality is that given the regulations in place and the current financial situation of the club, we have to trade well.”

Everton’s position will improve due to a lack of severance packages for management and board members compared to the previous year, while a better league finish will increase the merit pay over the previous season. But a sale, or sales, between the opening of the transfer window on June 14 and the June 30 financial deadline will undoubtedly help the club’s position.

In this context, withdrawing the appeal against the two-point deduction awarded for the second offense makes sense. Announced on Friday, it appears to mark another strategic attempt to position the club for a fight going forward. Everton are safe from relegation but are unlikely to go up the league in the remaining games of the season, meaning the value of any points returned has decreased since the appeal was lodged. Nottingham Forest’s failure to win points back in their appeal, the verdict of which was announced this week, will also be taken into account, while the limited track record of these proceedings suggests that cooperation with the Premier League may be useful.

This is important as Everton have an outstanding hearing on last year’s finances. Centered on the interest on the loans which the club attributes to the costs of the stadium, if the Blues lose this argument, it could lead to a deduction for next season. Defeat in that hearing would also make it a bigger challenge to comply with the regulations this financial year – meaning it is right for the club to get clarity before June 30 so that, in the event of a loss, they have time to take action accordingly. While Everton are still battling Brentford for 15th place, the reality is that future conversations with the Premier League on the matter are inevitable. And with the Blues now safe, club bosses could see this as an opportunity to boost goodwill going forward.

Next season should be a celebration of Goodison Park in his final year and Dyche has shown he can make progress against the odds. This summer represents an opportunity for him to continue this season. But his reward for a remarkable campaign is more instability off the pitch and the size of his next task will likely be defined by what happens long before Everton return to action in August.