Farhad Moshiri will not be remembered with great fondness by Evertonians. He promised a lot, laid the foundation for a new stadium, but overall his tenure will be considered nothing short of a disaster.
He has overseen an investment of more than £750 million in Everton, but with it the purchase of many very average players. In football parlance, his pants were pulled down and he probably listened to the wrong advisors, who have since galloped off into the sunset.
This is a club from a football-mad city that has the potential to become one of the big boys in our league.
I'm not alarmed by the fact that, despite Everton being £660 million in debt, we're seeing an American owner in the Premier League again. There are ten now, but these are hard-nosed businessmen who, when they sign the contracts to buy the club, will have a five or ten year plan with an exit date already in mind to maximize the return on their money.
Look at the money the Glazers have made thanks to Manchester United. Aside from the asset values skyrocketing and the benefits this will bring to their entire business empire, they have received huge dividends since their acquisition in 2005.
Look at Fenway Sports Group, they won't have invested a better £300 million than when they paid that to buy Liverpool in 2010. Forbes valued the club at £4.2 billion last week and, as with the Glazers, that will bring a lot to the club. huge benefit to other assets in their portfolio.
I therefore do not expect the Friedkins to be the last to come shopping in the Premier League.
Americans have made fortunes buying our institutions.
These are billionaires who continue to see huge growth in the Premier League, watching the huge TV audiences in Asia and America in both the East and West. They see how our product remains increasingly attractive to TV companies willing to make money from it. It's a prime time investment, especially considering more broadcast negotiations are just around the corner.
Even though I'm a Red, having lived in the city when their team was simply pushing for success, I understand the passion that Everton supporters have for their club. They will pray that the Friedkin Group will become good owners with smarter decisions in the future.
There will be demand for change, although the Profit and Sustainability Rules, a shadow that loomed large in Moshiri's time, will limit their immediate options.
Everton's recruitment pattern over the years is already being discussed as a case study for football business degrees at the local university, with an emphasis on what not to do.
It is with perfect synchronicity that the Friedkins' first match will be against Chelsea, another American-owned club, which has taken a more extreme stance on how to invest. We have yet to see if that particular policy pays off, but I doubt the Friedkin Group will follow suit.
Inevitably, questions will also arise about what role Sean Dyche will play in the future. I would say he has come through a very difficult task. Considering that Carlo Ancelotti, one of the best club managers in recent times, finished only tenth at Everton and with more resources, it underlines the challenge of working at Everton recently.
Add Arne Slot or Pep Guardiola and could they have done better? I doubt it.
Arteta must bring big honors to Arsenal
For the vast majority of Arsenal supporters over the last five years, Mikel Arteta has won plaudits for winning the FA Cup, reaching the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup and for the brand of football his team plays. But he must realize that, because of the investments of his bosses, a Premier League or Champions League is expected in the near future.
Arteta and those supporters know that Arsenal must go one step further to shake off the 'almost-man' label.
He had a difficult start to his term. Despite winning the FA Cup, he admitted he was 'overwhelmed' by the size of the course. He got rid of older, big earners like Mesut Ozil, confronted Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and then when he started bringing in young players, I said at the time, I had the feeling he was buying for the next Arsenal manager. But he survived that early storm, he calmed the antics on the touchline and I think the players benefited from that.
However, time is not your friend as a manager unless you deliver trophies.
Arsenal have backed him, as they did with the £105 million they paid for Declan Rice, and despite the loss of sporting director Edu, with whom Arteta had a close relationship, I expect they will once again strengthen his arm with a striker.
Gabriel Jesus may have scored a hat trick on Wednesday, but he is not the answer. Those were his second, third and fourth goals of the season and they all came in the Carabao Cup. If he was the caliber of goalscorer they really needed, he would still be at Manchester City.
But as is always the case when spending big money, and a net £500 million has been spent since his appointment, the pressure to award one of the big trophies is enormous.
The decision makers will want more than just a domestic cup as a return on their investment. Arteta has credit in the bank, but he will soon need the Premier League, the Champions League or at worst the Europa League to meet their expectations.
Pep proves my theory about management
Pep Guardiola has expressed his frustrations at the attempt to bring in a new tune from his squad so that Manchester City will renew it for him and support him in the January window.
It's an interesting step. If City want to improve on the current group they will have to go big and in the winter period it will be expensive as there will be a premium; a premium because it is Manchester City and a premium because no one wants to sell.
But it's also interesting because it tells me they're confident about the 115 charges they're facing from the Premier League.
However you see Pep saying he's not good enough after the defeat to Manchester United, it confirms my belief that management is 10 percent down to the man in charge and 90 percent down to the players.
Take a look at his career, wherever he has been: Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City; he has always had the best group of players in whatever league he has worked in.
There are so many aspects to being a good player: athleticism, good skills and a strong character, a character that, when difficult moments arise, knows how to react. There are no brilliant interventions by the manager. I had the same luxury at Rangers when I had players like Terry Butcher, Richard Gough, Ray Wilkins and Mark Hateley, there was very little for me to do as a manager. I'd like the same to be true of the Liverpool managers I played under, except those were the guys who also made the hiring decisions. It's like having one of those pianos you see in hotels or malls that plays a tune all by itself.
City have won one in eleven, their next opponent being Aston Villa, so there are no guarantees the run will improve. If these players don't respond to Pep's alignment, then it's obviously time to freshen up as City have to play in the Champions League next season.
Rashford proves he wasn't up to the challenge
Marcus Rashford says he is ready for a new challenge and has proven he was not ready for the first challenge thrown at him to become a real player at Manchester United.
To me it's like he's thrown his hands up and said he can't handle the expectations on his shoulders.
He has not been able to prove that he can keep a place in a team where you play the cup final every week. In ten seasons at United he only scored more than 20 goals three times. That is proof that he is not up to the challenge or responsibility of playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
In his mind, he quietly accepts that he will have to play in a less challenging league.
It will be interesting to see where he ends up because as I said last week, I fear things will only go downhill for him from United.
Comments