Kenyon in shock bid for Everton
Ex-united and Chelsea chief executive fronting consortium Lampard expected to retain support as club’s manager
Peter Kenyon, the former Manchester United and Chelsea chief executive, is fronting a consortium which has entered talks to buy Everton.
Kenyon is part of a group that includes Maciek Kaminski, the chief executive of Minneapolis-based Talon Real Estate, and American businessman John Thornton, and is being advised by investment specialist Michael Klein, along with the American law firm Weil, Gotshal and Manges.
It is understood heads of terms have been signed, although talks are described as being at a “relatively early stage”, with owner Farhad Moshiri believed to value Everton in excess of £500million, taking into account the club’s debt.
The consortium may want guarantees that Everton will not face a points deduction or heavy fines over financial fair play issues before entering into a legally-binding agreement, but the club have always insisted they have not broken regulations.
Kenyon has been advising clubs and prospective owners for a number of years from his base in Jersey. His company, Opto Advisers, have been involved with the transformative takeovers of Paris Stgermain and Wolverhampton Wanderers. He has worked with Atletico Madrid and Middlesbrough, and was involved in a bid to buy Newcastle United.
Klein, who, like Kaminski, has been approached for comment, was an adviser to the Sir Martin Broughton-fronted bid to buy Chelsea. The group made the final shortlist, but missed out to the Todd Boehly-led consortium.
Thornton is the executive chairman of Barrick Gold, one of the world’s largest mining companies with a net worth of £31billion, and non-executive chairman of Pinebridge Investments, having stepped down as co-president of Goldman Sachs in 2003.
From their time together at Chelsea, Kenyon already knows Everton head coach Frank Lampard well, having negotiated contracts with the former midfielder, and it is
expected the 43-year-old would receive the consortium’s support if a takeover was completed.
Everton have not commented on the talks, but any takeover may not be good news for chairman Bill Kenwright. The 76-year-old has held his position since 1989, but he has become the target of criticism from Everton fans and Moshiri last week apologised to supporters for mistakes in a season in which the club narrowly escaped relegation from the Premier League.
Everton and Moshiri were forced to sever all business links with Uzbekistan-born billionaire Alisher Usmanov after he was sanctioned by the Government following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and last week a club-record front-of-shirt sponsorship with casino and sports betting company Stake.com was announced, which provoked fresh scrutiny.
Moshiri, who has overseen £500million of spending since his arrival at Everton in 2016, wrote an open letter to supporters that read: “It has not been good enough and we need to do better. Mistakes have been made and for that I want to apologise to all of you.”
The British-iranian businessman also reaffirmed his commitment to deliver a “fully funded” new stadium at Bramley-moore Dock, which is under construction, while pledging to not make the same mistakes in the transfer market that led to the club posting combined losses of £372million over three seasons.
“We are committed to not making the same mistakes again – including how we have not always spent significant amounts of money wisely,” he said. “You have given us incredible support that helped us over the line when we most needed it, and we must repay that support and show that lessons have been learned.”
Regardless of a proposed takeover, Lampard is hoping to sign as many as five new players. James Tarkowski has agreed a free transfer after his Burnley contract expired and there is interest in Chelsea midfielders Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour, as well as Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Winks.
Spurs are prepared to offer Winks and Lucas Moura as part of an offer to sign Richarlison, who Everton value at well over £50million.