The Friedkin Group’s football portfolio is entering another period of examination, with Roma’s owners willing to consider a complete sale of Everton while continuing to run the Premier League club until a suitable buyer is found.
Dan Friedkin and his son Ryan acquired Everton’s shareholding in 2024, adding the Merseyside club to a group that already includes Roma and French side Cannes. Their next decision could reshape the wider sporting structure around the family, particularly as a major project in American ice hockey is also being explored.
Everton investment search broadens
- In September, Everton’s ownership began exploring outside investment, initially with the intention of bringing in strategic minority partners who could support the club’s development.
- After a difficult and heavily criticised summer transfer window, the search moved beyond the prospect of selling a smaller stake.
- The Friedkin Group is now prepared to assess offers for its controlling position, including the possibility of a full departure from Everton.
- A complete sale would only be pursued if the proposed buyer is judged capable of giving the club a strong long-term future.
The approach is not presented as an immediate withdrawal. The group intends to maintain full support for Everton while the process develops, having worked to stabilise the club and complete its new stadium project.
For Roma, the development underlines the scale of the Friedkins’ commitments across football and beyond it. Everton arrived in the group’s ownership only in 2024, but the club’s financial and sporting rebuilding has already required significant attention.
A summer that sharpened the pressure
The investment discussions emerged after an uneasy conclusion to Everton’s summer market. The club generated £100 million through player sales and recorded an estimated £25 million profit.
Supporters were especially concerned by the proposed £40 million sale of midfielder Harrison Armstrong, an academy product, to Nottingham Forest. Everton stopped the deal before Armstrong travelled for his medical examination, but the episode added to the criticism surrounding the window.
The possibility of fresh investment, or even new ownership, therefore arrives against a backdrop in which the club’s direction has been closely scrutinised by its supporters.
Houston project adds to Friedkin agenda
Alongside their football interests, the Friedkins are working on plans to launch an NHL franchise in Houston. The operation is estimated to require an investment of around $3.5 billion.
That prospective commitment helps explain why the group is willing to listen to Everton proposals, even while insisting that any change of ownership must protect the Premier League club’s standing and ambitions.
For Roma, it is another reminder that the ownership’s decisions are being made across an increasingly broad international sporting landscape. The key point remains that Everton will continue to receive backing until the Friedkins identify the buyer they believe can take the club forward.
