Everton transfer plans could change as takeover battle hots up

Any breakthrough in the ongoing ownership saga at Everton is unlikely to change the club’s plans for the summer.

The Blues are planning for a transfer window that is expected to follow a similar path to last summer, when financial constraints forced director of football Kevin Thelwell and Sean Dyche to be savvy in the market. The only fee paid was for the arrival of Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal.

This is expected to be another window in which the emphasis is on the recruitment team to find free agents and loan deals to help strengthen a squad that is already set to reduce in size with the expiration of the contracts of Andre Gomes, Andy Lonergan, Dele, the academy players who were involved in end of season senior squads, Lewis Warrington and Mackenzie Hunt, plus the conclusion of the loan moves for Danjuma and Jack Harrison.

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At the forefront of the club’s thoughts will be trying to protect the assets the club does have, though manager Dyche and director of football Thelwell are braced for the loss of key players in a window that is expected to see sales. Everton are one of several clubs that would see their position in relation to Profit and Sustainability Regulations improve if a sale was to be agreed before the deadline for compliance at the end of this month. The Blues were deducted points twice last season for consecutive breaches and is in a battle to avoid a third.

A resolution to the takeover situation would not impact the club’s PSR situation in the short term, though even if Farhad Moshiri enters into a period of exclusivity in the coming days, any deal is unlikely to be completed until much later in the summer due to the regulatory checks, including those by the Premier League.

Where a takeover could make a tangible difference is at the end of the transfer window. If uncertainty over the club’s future remains then sales may be required to generate cash and help the club set itself up for the coming months.

Everton relied on multi-million pound loans from 777 Partners to meet their operating costs for most of last season. That source of funding has gone with the collapse of the 777 takeover deal.

In the short term, the club’s cashflow situation is improved. The club has access to season ticket money and is due its merit payment from the Premier League. The first tranche of TV money is on the horizon and the transfer window opens on Friday, providing a route to raising cash from external sources.

Should a takeover be completed before the end of the summer window, or there at least be confidence of a development that means money does not need to be raised to protect the club for the following months, it will strengthen Everton’s negotiating position and prevent the club from being bullied into signing off on a departure.