The Friedkin Group confirmed on Friday morning it is exploring the sale of a controlling interest in Everton, 22 months after completing a £400m takeover from Farhad Moshiri.

David Moyes learned of the decision the same way most Evertonians did.

“I only found out this morning myself along with everybody else. I’m a little bit surprised, but maybe not really that surprised,” he told reporters.

His priority was not his own position.

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“It’s for Evertonians I feel sorry for the most. They’ve been through so many difficult periods, they really have.”

Moyes expected 20 to 30 years of ownership

Moyes expected the Texas-based group to settle in for the long haul.

“Yeah I was surprised, they’d only came in a year and a half ago.”

“Most owners come in for a lot longer than that. We were all expecting them to be here for 20 to 30 years, however long it may be.”

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The Friedkin Group, chaired by American businessman Dan Friedkin, bought Moshiri’s majority stake in a deal completed on 19 December 2024. The transaction valued the club at over £400m and made Everton the tenth Premier League side under American ownership.

The club’s own statement on Friday kept the language narrow: “The Friedkin Group (TFG) is exploring new investment options for Everton Football Club, including the potential sale of a controlling interest.”

The group added it would only “entertain interest from parties who we strongly believe will be the right stewards to take the club forward and build on the momentum that has been established.”

Points deductions, a relegation fight and a stadium move

The years before the Friedkin takeover were defined by financial strain, two separate points deductions for breaches of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, and a relegation fight that went to the final weeks of the 2023/24 season.

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The one unambiguous success of that period was concrete: the long-promised move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, which opened in 2025 and ended Everton’s 133-year stay at Goodison Park.

On the pitch, Moyes has steadied the ship. Everton sit seventh in the Premier League, unbeaten through their first five games on two wins and three draws, level on points with fourth-placed Brentford.

Moyes keeps the focus on his players

Asked about his own future, Moyes was brief.

“I’ve not really thought about it yet from that point of view.”

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He was more forthcoming about what the club might offer to a new buyer.

“It’s a great club if anybody is out there who wants to buy it. If they want to speak to me, I’ll be the first person to tell them that it’s certainly worth buying.”

The Friedkin Group has not set a timetable for the process, and no bidder has been named publicly. Everton’s next league fixture comes after the current international break.

Sources: – [Everton up for sale: Friedkin Group considering new investment options (Sky Sports)

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