Everton stadium may get new name after Dan Friedkin takeover as £30m deal laid bare
Friedkin is already pulling the strings. ????
Dan Friedkin has not yet taken over at Everton but may already have big plans when it comes to Bramley Moore Dock.
Everton now have less than half a season remaining at Goodison Park, their home for all but the first 14 years of their entire history.
Aside from one League Cup victory against Doncaster Rovers, all of the Toffees’ home matches this season have ended in defeat.
That has added to the malaise that has until recently set in on the blue half of Merseyside, but news in recent days that The Friedkin Group has revived its takeover campaign have injected some optimism.
Dan Friedkin had previously been in exclusive talks with Farhad Moshiri only to pull out after a month due to issues relating to the club’s debt with another former takeover suitor, 777 Partners.
However, Friedkin and Moshiri now appear confident that matter can be resolved and that a deal can therefore be completed.
Friedkin has agreed a deal which, subject ratification, will see Everton’s debt picture reduced and the necessary finance supplied to fit out the stadium at Bramley Moore Dock ahead of the move in 2025.
And buried in the detail about the seemingly soon-to-be completed takeover is a clue about the future of Everton’s new home.
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Dan Friedkin may have already secured naming rights partner for Bramley Moore Dock
As well as his investments in AS Roma and soon Everton, Dan Friedkin’s portfolio also includes a number of media and industrial properties.
Outside football, he is perhaps best known for his career in Hollywood’s corporate sphere, which has seen him oversee several blockbuster titles.
But the business that earns The Friedkin Group the most money is their involvement with Japanese automotive giants Toyota, for whom they assemble and sell cars.
Friedkin’s relationship with Toyota goes back more than two decades and The Athletic‘s Matt Slater has reported that he would be ‘would be amazed if the Japanese auto company was not added to Everton’s portfolio of sponsors in the near future.
Significantly, Toyota have a long history of stadium sponsorship and are one of the most prolific companies in the market.
At least 19 stadiums bear the ‘Toyota’ name, with the majority of in the United States but also and Japan and Europe.
Everton commissioned an agency to search for a naming rights partners over two years ago but are yet to pull the trigger on a deal.
It would seem very likely that Toyota have at least been considered given the Friedkin connection.
The Alisher Usmanov factor: How much are Everton’s naming rights worth?
Alisher Usmanov, the former Everton benefactor who was forced to cut ties with the club due to his links to the Russian state, once paid £30m for first-refusal for the naming rights for Bramley Moore Dock.
Tottenham had previously hoped to secure a £25m-a-year deal for their own naming rights, although that appraisal now seems wildly optimistic.
However, most analysis suggests that Everton could secure a deal worth around £5-10m annually, which would be a major boost to both their cash flow and Profit and Sustainability (PSR) position.
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