AliousEverton’s imminent takeover by AS Roma owner Dan Friedkin faces a potential hurdle due to his existing ownership of the Italian club.
The US billionaire, worth around £5bn, has secured an exclusivity agreement with Farhad Moshiri, and both parties are now discussing the terms of the sale of Moshiri’s 94% stake in Everton.
While Friedkin’s ownership of Roma, which he acquired for £533m, does not disqualify him from purchasing Everton, concerns have been raised about how he will balance the competing needs of the two prominent European clubs.
Italian outlet Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Sport Witness) reports that Roma will likely remain the senior club in Friedkin’s multi-club portfolio.
Significantly, this could mean that Everton would be unable to participate in the same European competition as Roma.
UEFA is cracking down on multi-club structures, and from the 2025-26 season, they may not be as lenient as they have been with clubs like Manchester United’s Nice and Manchester City’s Girona, which have been temporarily allowed to play alongside their subsidiary clubs in Europe.
While it is unlikely that Friedkin will steer Everton towards European competition in that timeframe, UEFA’s crackdown places an upper limit on the club’s ambitions going forward.
This raises questions about the integrity of the multi-club model, as some clubs within such structures have expressed concerns about losing their identities and serving merely as subsidiaries to the primary club.
Despite these complications, the benefits of the multi-club model cannot be disputed for owners.
Having multiple clubs in a network allows for diversification of risk, facilitation of commercial collaboration, and the establishment of a pre-made scouting network.
It also provides workarounds in terms of recruitment, especially in a post-Brexit environment with a points-based system for player transfers.
Additionally, some clubs have traded players within their networks to improve their financial fair play (now Profit and Sustainability Rules, or PSR) position.
Whether these benefits will apply to Everton or whether Friedkin will prefer to operate the two clubs as separate entities entirely remains to be seen.
However, Everton’s excellent supporters trust and fan advisory board will likely address any concerns regarding the preservation of the club’s identity and integrity.
Alious
