On Saturday, Everton began their 2024/25 season on shaky ground, with Sean Dyche witnessing his team suffer a 3-0 defeat by Brighton at Goodison Park.
This underwhelming performance indicates that the Toffees might benefit from bringing in fresh talent as we approach the last stretch of the summer transfer window, which concludes on Friday, 30th August.
At the moment, a player who is already well-acquainted with life at Goodison Park is on the verge of joining Everton for free…
Everton considering signing Asmir Begovic
Sky Sports journalist Mark McAdam has disclosed that Everton is currently discussing the possibility of signing Asmir Begovic to return to Goodison Park.
At the moment, the 37-year-old player is without a club following his departure from Queens Park Rangers in May.
This follows reports from The Sun suggesting that Julen Lopetegui had expressed interest in having Begovic join West Ham in the early part of the summer, before a contract for Wes Foderingham was finalized.
UPDATE: Alex Crook from talkSPORT has now confirmed that Everton is set to acquire Begovic, with the agreement nearly finalized.Between 2021 and 2023, the Bosnia international played in ten matches for Everton, following his move from Bournemouth in July 2021, which he joined without any cost. He managed to keep four goals out of the total 17 conceded during his time with the team.
Sean Dyche is missing a seasoned glovesman to face off against Julen LopeteguiPickford, with just the 24-year-old Joao Virginia on standby, along with another young player, Billy Crellin, who is also inexperienced at 24, and 22-year-old Harry Tyrer.
This move is a bit underwhelming but makes a lot of sense for Kevin Thelwell, the Director of Football at Goodison Park.
At the moment, there would be major concerns if Pickford were to get a serious injury, making it clear that a skilled, dependable glovesman is definitely required.Begovic is indeed more than that, achieving 65 clean sheets in 256 Premier League games, in addition to securing 63 caps for Bosnia during his remarkable career.
Moreover, the individual from Trebinje is familiar with the club, so he ought to have no problems integrating into Everton.
Make sure to monitor this scenario closely, as a contract might be finalized rapidly considering Begovic is currently without a team. Trebinjedelivers his decision on Everton’s inclusion in the New York Stock Exchange, announcing a £160 million agreement nearing completion.
At first glance, John Textor appears to be an unlikely choice compared to Farhad Moshiri’s top pick for Everton. Additionally, his broader business objectives might add to the complexity of the situation.
Textor, who holds 45 percent of the Premier League club Crystal Palace, has been said to have received special permission from Moshiri to delve into the details of a complete acquisition.Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings, among the biggest operations with multiple clubs globally, holds investments in Lyon, Botofogo, RWD Molenbeek, FC and Palace.The rules of the Premier League’s conflict of interest state that Textor is required to divest his complete ownership in Palace prior to assuming control of Everton.
The 58-year-old has recently made it public that he plans to sell his shares in the Palace, a move he made several months back, due to his dissatisfaction with his inability to gain full control of the South London team.
Additionally, Textor faces the challenge of understanding Everton’s massive debt of over £600 million, which also includes a possible legal issue from a loan taken out by the team’s previous owners, 777 Partners.
To delve into the potential future of Everton under the ownership of Missouri-born billionaire, TBR Football had a private conversation with Kieran Maguire, a lecturer in football finance at Liverpool University and the author of “The Price of Football.”
Everton on the Stock Market?
A part of the attempted acquisition that hasn’t received much attention, Textor has been gathering £160 million in funds before planning to go public, which could lead to his Eagle Football Holdings being listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
In an interview with a Brazilian news outlet Globo earlier in the summer, Textor mentioned: “There are regulations regarding pre-emptive acquisitions. You’re not allowed to publicly announce that you’re planning an IPO.
“The process of going public involves submitting a registration statement, which contains all the details about your company – a lot of it.
“It will be beneficial for those interested in learning everything about my company.
“I always make it clear to others that our company values privacy and I’m not obligated to provide any information, but rest assured, you’ll receive the necessary details within four days following any significant event.
We are in the process of submitting that document. This process is expected to be completed in the near future, possibly within the next few weeks.
“We are preparing to submit this document to the SEC. The decision on which stock exchange to list it on will be yours to make at a later time.
Submitting this document will benefit Botafogo. Should it be successful, it will enhance our financial stability and help reduce our debt. This debt was incurred when we acquired Lyon, for instance.
Should Eagle Football Holdings – and by extension, Everton or Palace – choose to go public, they would join a select group of English clubs to hold this status, following Man United.
What are the consequences? Maguire mentioned, “It will be difficult for John Textor to sell his shares in Palace due to the complex relationship he has with the other major shareholders.
“Going public through an IPO will provide his company with access to public funds. He’s making money from investors who are smaller in scale.
“However, the negative aspect of going public in New York is the requirement to undergo quarterly financial reports. This means there will be more frequent oversight.
“There will also be increased costs for compliance compared to being a private entity. Yet, the advantage is that the initial funding comes from these smaller investors.
“From the perspective of Everton supporters, the goal is to maximize profits. So, for those fans expecting large expenditures, this might be limited.
