"I'm starting to believe that there will potentially be a sale... within the next 18 months." That's not a fan venting on social media — that's David Wyness, a former Everton chief executive, laying it out plainly on the Football Insider podcast. And when a man who knows the club's inner workings speaks that directly, it's worth taking seriously.
Dan Friedkin's The Friedkin Group (TFG) bought Everton in late 2024 for around $445 million. Forbes now values the club at $930 million on a standalone basis. Add in the recently completed Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock — a near-53,000-capacity venue that is already a commercial asset — and a sale could clear $1 billion. That's a return that would be difficult for any business-minded owner to ignore.
A summer that made things worse
The football side hasn't helped Friedkin's case for staying. Everton's summer transfer window was a mess — multiple key players left, the replacements haven't convinced anyone, and supporter frustration is rising. TFG stabilised the finances and delivered a stadium. On the pitch, though, the club is still searching for direction, and that tension makes the ownership picture murkier.
Wyness credited Friedkin for sorting the financial chaos inherited from previous ownership, but he's clearly not convinced the group has a long-term appetite for the project. A minority stake sale is officially what's being discussed, framed as bringing in "strategic investors." The former executive thinks that's the opening move in something bigger.
The NHL factor — and why Everton money may not matter
Friedkin is simultaneously pursuing an NHL expansion franchise in Texas — either Houston or Austin — with an estimated cost of around $3.5 billion when you factor in the expansion fee and a new arena. That's a serious number. But TFG pulled in $13.3 billion in revenue in 2024, largely through its automotive distribution business. Everton proceeds would be a bonus, not a lifeline.
The group also holds a majority stake in AS Roma in Serie A and owns French third-division side AS Cannes. It's a sprawling multi-club operation, and the NHL ambition signals where TFG's growth appetite is pointing — North America, not Merseyside.
Everton fans watching this unfold have legitimate reason for unease. Stability under Friedkin was real, but stability was always supposed to be the floor, not the ceiling. If a sale materialises, the club's trajectory depends entirely on who comes next — and in today's market, a billion-dollar price tag narrows the field considerably.
