Kenyon has the credentials to revive Everton
Powerful executive’s contacts and experience offer hope of a brighter future for stricken club who have lost their way
It was back in 2005, shortly after clinching their first top-flight title for half a century, that Peter Kenyon talked about how Chelsea wanted to “paint the world blue”.
If the consortium that the former Chelsea and Manchester United chief executive is fronting manages to buy another club who play in blue, one suspects his ambitions for Everton may need to be rather more circumspect.
But there is little doubt that Merseyside’s downtrodden neighbour need some fresh thinking and some of Kenyon’s recent rhetoric will chime with Everton fans desperate to see an end to the dysfunction and reckless spending that took them so close to relegation last season.
In an interview with Telegraph Sport just under two years ago, Kenyon explained how he told all prospective owners of clubs that, while it undoubtedly costs money to create good sides, that alone is no guarantee of success.
“It goes way beyond a coach or a footballer,” he said. “It’s about a culture that is created.”
Everton, devoid of a vision or plan under Farhad Moshiri and undermined by constant managerial upheaval, have been as good an example as any of how not to run a football club.
Kenyon, of course, will know that. It is almost two decades since he left United for Stamford Bridge in what remains arguably the most eye-catching executive switch the Premier League has witnessed, and 13 years since he parted company with Chelsea. Nonetheless, he remains a familiar face to many, his influence in football circles has never waned and his opinions and expertise are still sought after – his company, Opto Advisers, has been involved with the takeovers at Paris St-germain and Wolverhampton Wanderers and he has worked with clubs from Middlesbrough to Atletico Madrid. Had things worked out differently, he might have ended up running Newcastle United.
Kenyon has close ties with Jorge Mendes, probably the world’s most powerful agent, a relationship that dates back to 2003 when they first met over the deal that brought Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford.
Born in Stalybridge, a small town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, Kenyon made his name as chief executive of Umbro, the sports manufacturer, before leaving to become deputy chief executive of United in 1997, where he helped to elevate the club commercially, through ground-breaking deals with Vodafone and Nike, and raised United’s profile in Asia.
Roman Abramovich recognised Kenyon’s talents and one of his first major moves as Chelsea owner was to entice him to west London.
Given his background, it would be easy to fit Kenyon into a certain stereotype, but he has always been a fervent opponent of a European Super League and holds an unwavering belief in the Premier League’s collective model, where wealth is shared. He also opposes Uefa’s financial fair play regulations.
When he first joined Chelsea, Kenyon said they “had some good players, some big players… but it was a disparate band and there was nothing bringing it together.” There are obvious parallels at Everton, where manager Frank Lampard faces a huge rebuilding job.
Takeovers can often spell bad news for incumbent managers but, if Kenyon’s group were to be successful, Lampard may have less to fear than most. He knows Kenyon well from their time at Chelsea. Kenyon also publicly championed Lampard’s credentials when he was manager at Stamford Bridge. Time will tell if that reunion materialises.