Everton fans have finally been handed a date by which their club takeover by the Friedkin Group will be completed, according to a fresh report.

Everton left in limbo after agreement

Back in September, it was announced that the Friedkin Group had agreed a deal to buy a 94% stake in Everton Football Club, ending Farhad Moshiri’s largely disastrous ownership of the club.

A deal was believed to have been agreed for around £400m, which ended a turbulent period in Everton’s ownership race, in which the Friedkin Group initially pulled out before 777 Partners also failed to agree a deal. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace owner John Textor also showed interest, but could not sell his stake in the Premier League club.

Related Journalist delivers exciting 10-word update on Everton’s January business

Blues supporters will love the sound of this.

Posts ByHenry Jackson Nov 11, 2024

A spokesperson for the Friedkin Group said in a statement at the time: “We are pleased to have reached an agreement to become custodians of this iconic football club. We are focused on securing the necessary approvals to complete the transaction.”

“We look forward to providing stability to the club and sharing our vision for its future, including the completion of the new Everton Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.”

The new owners will become the 11th-richest in the Premier League when they take over, with Friedkin’s £5.6bn net worth just below that of Fulham owner Shahid Khan.

However, in the time since, little progress appears to have been made on a deal, while Everton’s progress on the pitch continues to stall.

Everton’s next five games

Brentford (Home)

Manchester United (Away)

Wolverhampton Wanderers (Home)

Liverpool (Home)

Arsenal (Away)

Now, an update has been forthcoming on when Everton fans can expect to be welcoming their new owners to Goodison Park.

Everton's takeover timeline revealed

According to Football Insider, Dan Friedkin is “still on course to complete his takeover before the end of December”.

It is claimed that “everything is currently going smoothly after no unforeseen problems have cropped up with the deal”, but that “Friedkin is currently waiting to receive regulatory approval from the Premier League, the FA and the Financial Conduct Authority before he can finalise the takeover” – something that has forced them to wait before becoming hands-on owners on Merseyside in the place of Moshiri.

It is added that the deal could be official “potentially before Christmas if everything goes to plan over the coming weeks”, and that financial issues with 777 Partners are unlikely to prove a stumbling block to the deal going through, which could allow the new owners to begin investing in the club in January.

The news is likely to leave Everton fans with mixed emotions; on the one hand, they will be handed a chance for a fresh start under new ownership following the stale and debt-ridden tenure of Moshiri.

On the other hand, current affairs at Roma, Friedkin’s other major European club, provide a cautionary tale. Now without a manager for the third time in 12 months, they sit 12th in Serie A with one win in their last five games, and the Roma fans have shown their anger at the club ownership with a banner outside their hotel in recent days, calling the Giallorossi president and directors ‘incompetent and unworthy’.

Everton fans will be hoping that this proves to be far from the case, while their arrival may well have a knock-on impact on the future of manager Sean Dyche.

MatériaMais Notícias

Por solicitação do Grupo Globo, que detém os direitos de transmissão do Campeonato Paulista no sistema Pay Per Views, através dos canais Premiere, a Federação Paulista de Futebol solicitou a alteração da data e do horário do confronto entre Corinthians e Red Bull Bragantino, válido pela nona rodada da competição estadual.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansCorinthians reconhece dificuldades, mas faz proposta por Luis Castro e já tem ‘plano B’Corinthians17/02/2022CorinthiansNa estreia de João Pedro na Arena, lateral foi o melhor driblador do Corinthians contra o São BernardoCorinthians17/02/2022CorinthiansCorinthians é condenado a pagar cerca de R$ 1 milhão para empresário de RomeroCorinthians17/02/2022

A partida aconteceria no dia 26 de fevereiro, um sábado, às 16h, mas foi modificada para o domingo, dia 27, às 11h. O local continua sendo a Neo Química Arena.

> TABELA – Confira e simule os jogos do Timão no Campeonato Paulista
> GALERIA -Veja todos os técnicos estrangeiros na história do Corinthians

Antes, o Timão tem um compromisso neste sábado (19), quando vai até Ribeiro Preto enfrentar o Botafogo pela oitava rodada do Paulistão, a fim de manter a sua sequência de vitórias, até o momento são três consecutivas.

O Corinthians é líder do Grupo A, com 13 pontos, sendo quatro vitórias, um empate e uma derrota em seis jogos – a equipe alvinegra tem um jogo a menos, já que não entrou em campo pela sexta rodada, pois encararia o Palmeiras, que estava em Abu Dhabi para a disputa do Mundial de clubes, o Dérbi foi remarcado para o dia 17 de março.

O Timão é o segundo colocado a na classificação geral do Paulista, atrás apenas do Palmeiras, que tem um jogo a menos que o Corinthians (e dois em relação ao restante dos times), mas ainda não perdeu no Estaduall.

After twin tons, Khawaja could replace Harris as opener in Hobart

Andrew McGlashan09-Jan-2022Australia captain Pat Cummins has indicated Usman Khawaja should retain his place for the final Ashes Test in Hobart after his stunning comeback with twin centuries at the SCG.Cummins is not on the selection panel – which consists of George Bailey, Justin Langer and Tony Dodemaide – but called Khawaja someone who is in “total command of their game”.However, speaking after the second of his centuries on Saturday, Khawaja said he remained resigned to this being a one-off comeback with Travis Head, who made 152 in the opening Test in Brisbane, assured of a return after missing Sydney due to testing positive for Covid-19.The only option remaining to the selectors is to drop Marcus Harris and install Khawaja as an opener. Harris has made 179 runs at 29.83 in the series which included a fighting half-century in tough conditions at the MCG but he twice gave away starts in Sydney.Related

Khawaja vs Head vs Harris – Australia selectors set for 'challenging conversations' ahead of Hobart Test

Head waits for selectors' call after Khawaja's stunning comeback

A twist in the tale of James Anderson vs Steve Smith

England cling on for thrilling final-over draw

Jos Buttler to return home with broken finger

“I’ll preface it by saying I’m not a selector, but when someone comes out and hits twin hundreds, it’s pretty hard to go past them for the week after,” Cummins said. “So we’ll work through that, the selectors will work through that the next few days. But when someone’s running hot, has got a heap of experience like Uzzy, the way he plays is fantastic.”Khawaja has only opened in first-class cricket on three occasions in the last three years and in total in 24 of his 166 matches but does have two centuries in the role in Test cricket. His versatility was one of the key reasons behind him being the spare batter in the Ashes squad and he would have replaced David Warner in Adelaide if his damaged ribs had prevented him playing.”Felt like he could replace any batter from one to six,” Cummins said. “I know there’s been question marks historically on him playing over in Asia but you see how well he’s played spin recently – reverse sweeping, sweeping – he’s just someone who’s in total command of his game. That’s why you love experience.”There may also be changes to the pace-bowling attack for the final Test with Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser in contention but whichever line-up Australia go with in Hobart, hosting its first Ashes Test after replacing Perth in the schedule, they will not be aiming for a whitewash after being thwarted by England’s lower order.It was the second year in a row they had not been able to take victory from a strong position at the SCG but Cummins believed he had got his calculations correct. Seven overs were lost to rain on the final day and Australia had 64 balls to claim the last two wickets after Jonny Bairstow fell.”I wanted about three-and-a-half an over, though the wicket still wasn’t playing too many tricks,” he said. “I thought if they batted well 350 is pretty achievable. Thought 110 overs was enough time… but in the back of our mind we knew it could be a bit of a grind.”I think this year compared to last year we have made some improvements, we probably stuck at some plans a little bit longer. When you are that far ahead of the game of course you want to win it but I thought England played well. I was really proud of how everyone went, got close just not close enough.”

Celtic head into the final international break of the year on a high after they beat Kilmarnock 2-0 away from home in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

The Hoops needed to claim all three points to move back to the top of the table, after Aberdeen’s win over Dundee on Saturday, and that is exactly what they did.

Callum McGregor opened the scoring for the away side in the first half when his attempted cross evaded everyone, including Robby McCrorie, and found the bottom corner.

Nicolas Kuhn then made it 2-0 in the second half with a burst down the right flank that resulted in him being able to confidently place the ball into the back of the net from a tight angle on his left foot.

The German forward has already recorded a double-double for goals and assists in all competitions this season, with ten goals and 11 assists in 17 appearances for Celtic.

He has emerged as a superstar within Brendan Rodgers’ team and came up with another big moment against Kilmarnock to seal all three points on Sunday.

One player who did struggle at the weekend at times, however, was central defender Liam Scales, who came in for the injured Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Liam Scales' performance in numbers

The Ireland international was drafted back into the team after an injury to the American defender and played alongside Auston Trusty, who was shifted over to the right centre-back role, at the back for Celtic.

Scales was partially at fault for the huge early chance that was missed by Kilmarnock forward Marley Watkins, after he stepped out of defence to get tight to his man, only for Watkins to run into the space that he left behind to go one-on-one with Kasper Schmeichel.

Thankfully, for Celtic and the Irish defender, the former Norwich City and Bristol City marksman could only fire his shot off the post and wide, instead of taking advantage of the opportunity that was created by the centre-back’s poor decision.

Scales, who made another error that directly led to a shot, did not do enough to protect his goalkeeper, who had to make six saves to preserve his clean sheet.

The left-footed dud did win ten of his 12 aerial duels throughout the match, which shows that he was dominant in the air, but did not get close enough to Kilmarnock’s attackers on the deck, winning just one ground duel as the hosts had 18 shots and created two ‘big chances’.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

He was far from the only poor performer on the pitch for the Scottish giants, however, as centre-forward Adam Idah was even worse than the former Aberdeen loanee.

Adam Idah's performance against Kilmarnock in numbers

The 6 foot 3 striker was handed just his third start in the Premiership this season and it was a huge opportunity for him to show Rodgers that he deserves more minutes on the pitch moving forward.

Kyogo Furuhashi has missed a whopping 12 ‘big chances’ and only scored four goals in 11 appearances in the division this term, which shows that the Japanese forward can lose his place in the starting XI.

However, Idah needs to step up when chances to impress come his way and that was not the case in a poor showing against Kilmarnock on Sunday.

Playing on an artificial pitch is never ideal, of course, but the summer signing from Norwich City did not adjust to it and struggled badly throughout the game.

Minutes played

63

Shots

2

Big chances missed

1

Pass accuracy

71%

Duels lost

8/11 (73%)

As you can see in the table above, Idah was loose with his passing and failed to hold his own in physical duels against the Kilmarnock defenders.

The 23-year-old lightweight also missed a ‘big chance’ to open the scoring early on, when he could not sort his feet out in time to get a clean connection on a cross from Daizen Maeda from close range.

Idah also failed to connect with two brilliant crosses into the box, from Kuhn and McGregor, although the second one went all the way in anyway from the skipper.

The ex-Canaries ace, who lost possession a whopping 18 times from 41 touches, did create a ‘big chance’ for Kuhn that did not register in an assist but his all-round play, with his struggles in front of goal and in duels, was even worse than Scales’.

Why Adam Idah should be dropped

Rodgers must now instantly bin the Ireland international from the starting XI when the Hoops come back on the other side of the international break, as he did not do enough to justify his continued selection in the team.

In fact, Idah has not done enough throughout the 2024/25 campaign to justify the huge price that the Scottish giants reportedly paid to sign him on a permanent basis.

Sky Sports reported that Celtic agreed an initial fee of £8.5m to sign the striker and that it could rise to £9.5m with add-ons, which made it a potential club-record deal at the time, with Odsonne Edouard’s £9m move from PSG holding the record at the time.

Arne Engels was then brought in for £11m from Augsburg but that still means that Idah could end up being the second-most expensive signing in the club’s history.

At the age of 23, the Irishman does have plenty of time to come good and prove that he was worth the money spent on him, but the early signs have not been overly promising.

Appearances

15

8

Goals

8

2

Big chances missed

7

4

Minutes per goal

76

136

Assists

2

0

As you can see in the table above, Idah’s performances have declined since his initial spell on loan from Norwich in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.

He has scored less frequently, missed ‘big chances’ more consistently, and failed to provide any assists so far, albeit only in a sample size of eight games.

There is no need to label the Irish marksman a flop yet but Rodgers will need to see better performances than the one he produced against Kilmarnock to be able to trust him to start week-in-week-out over Kyogo.

The "outstanding" Celtic star who has emerged as the new Lubo Moravcik

The former Celtic star may see himself in the current Hoops central midfielder.

1 ByDan Emery Nov 9, 2024

The Italian star, who was MLS' second-highest paid player in 2024, is reportedly not in their plans for 2025

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Lorenzo Insigne does not travel with TFC for opening day matchItalian star not in club's plans for 2025Winger was MLS' second-highest paid player in 2024Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowWHAT HAPPENED?

Lorenzo Insigne has not traveled with Toronto FC for their MLS opening day match against D.C. United, with his absence being a coach's decision. Newly appointed boss Robin Fraser does not see the Italy international in his plans for the upcoming season.

The club has reportedly engaged in transfer opportunities for the winger, but he has declined the chance to depart the MLS side.

was the first to report that TFC did not plan to utilize Insigne for the 2025 season and that he did not travel Saturday.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The report added that clubs from Italy, Spain and Turkey all approached TFC over a potential move, but the winger declined each opportunity in January.

In 2024, per the MLS Players Association, Insigne made a guaranteed compensation of $15.4M. Since arriving in MLS as a Designated Player with TFC, he has 14 goals and 14 assists in 54 appearances across four seasons.

In 2023, The Athletic reported that Insigne was part of a fractured locker room involving former head coach Bob Bradley, which reportedly led to the manager's dismissal later that season. Later that campaign, a detailed report emerged saying the Italian had an argument with interim manager Terry Dunfield, who replaced Bradley.

DID YOU KNOW?

In 2024, Insigne only managed 23 appearances for the club, and in a match against Inter Miami after returning from injury, he came off the bench putting in a sluggish cameo. After the game, then head coach John Herdman appeared to take a shot at him over his work ethic.

"You could see he didn't have much in him," Herdman told media. "I think he managed to get Messi's shirt, though. But… yeah."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

ImagnWHAT NEXT FOR TORONTO?

They open their 2025 season Saturday evening against D.C. United.

لا يزال نادي تشيلسي يبذل جهودًا مكثفة للتعاقد مع مدافع الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة ومنتخب فرنسا، جول كوندي، حيث يعتبره أولوية لتدعيم الدفاع في الميركاتو الصيفي.

في حين يسعى نادي برشلونة لحمايته من العروض وتمديد عقده رغم أنه ينتهي في 2027، نظرًا لأهميته بالنسبة للفريق الكتالوني.

وأصبح كوندي عنصرًا أساسيًا مع المدرب، هانز فليك، لكنه يشغل مركز الظهير الأيمن بدلًا من قلب الدفاع، وهو ليس مركزه المفضل.

في عهد تشافي، تناوب بين المركزين، لكنه الآن يشارك فقط كظهير، رغم تفضيله للعب في العمق الدفاعي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. موندو توضح رد فعل برشلونة تجاه شكوى أوساسونا ضده

وشهد مستوى كوندي تطورًا كبيرًا منذ انضمامه من إشبيلية في صيف 2022، ما زاد قيمته السوقية وجذب اهتمام تشيلسي مجددًا، الذي سعى وقتها لضم الفرنسي قبل اختياره الانتقال إلى العملاق الكتالوني.

برشلونة يدرك أهمية كوندي بالنسبة لفريقه، لكنه يواجه خطر فقدانه لصالح النادي اللندني، الذي يرى فيه حلًا مثاليًا لتعزيز دفاعه خلال الصيف المقبل، بحسب صحيفة “سبورت” الكتالونية.

ويحاول برشلونة تمديد عقد كوندي، لكنه يواجه إغراءات تشيلسي المالية، ورغم سعادة اللاعب في النادي الكتالوني، فإن احتمالية زيادة راتبه واللعب في مركزه المفضل بالدوري الإنجليزي قد تؤثر على قراره بشأن مستقبله.

ويعاني برشلونة من وجود العديد من اللاعبين في خط الدفاع، ومع احتمال ضم جوناثان تاه (لاعب باير ليفركوزن بالمجان)، سيبقى كوندي كظهير أيمن، بجانب أن النادي يسعى للتعاقد مع ظهير آخر لمنافسته، ما يزيد تعقيد موقفه، ويجعله يفكر في وضعه داخل الفريق على المدى الطويل.

ويدرك المدير الرياضي لنادي برشلونة، ديكو أهمية العروض المقدمة لضم كوندي، لكن برشلونة يفضل الاحتفاظ به، ورغم تبقي أكثر من عامين في عقده، يسعى النادي لتجديده أيضًا لضمان استمراره.

The three games will be part of the ODI Super League

PTI08-Dec-2021

Mohammad Nabi, Hamid Hassan and Rashid Khan celebrate during a match•Getty Images

Afghanistan will host a three-match ODI series against Netherlands in Doha, Qatar in January next year, the country’s cricket board (ACB) said on Wednesday.”The three-match ODI series will begin on January 21st, with the second and third game set to be played on January 23rd and 25th respectively. All three games will be staged at Asian Town Cricket Stadium, Doha, Qatar,” ACB said in a statement.Afghanistan grabbed 30 points after clean sweeping Ireland 3-0 in the first series in January under the ODI Super League, which counts towards qualification for the 2023 World Cup.The series against Netherlands will be the second assignment, and that will be followed by the third – in Zimbabwe between January and February.Netherlands have 25 points in four games, so far in the Super League.Afghanistan are scheduled to host Australia and Pakistan, and will then travel to India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in their three away series in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League till 2023.The Super League is a 13-team tournament that will take place across two years and will determine which teams qualify to the 2023 ODI World Cup.India, who are the hosts of the 2023 World Cup, and the other top seven teams from the Super League will qualify automatically.

Aston Villa are among the Premier League teams interested in signing a £150,000-a-year La Liga ace, according to a recent report. The Midlands side were very busy during the summer, as Unai Emery put together a squad capable of competing both domestically and in Europe, but they already have their eye on fresh additions for the New Year.

£15m Aston Villa target considering leaving Boca Juniors in 2025 transfer

Villa are considering making a move for a player who is happy to leave his current club.

ByBrett Worthington Oct 30, 2024 Aston Villa transfer news

The January transfer window is still a bit away, but NSWE, Monchi and his recruitment team at Villa look to be getting their plans in place for what could be a busy January. It has been revealed that Monchi has sent scouts from Villa to watch young French defender Nathan Zeze, as they look to make a move in 2025.

But while they look at potentially strengthening their backline, Villa are also interested in signing Alex Baena. The Villarreal winger is known to Emery already, as the pair worked together at the Spanish side, and he could now be pushing Villa to bring him to England. However, it isn’t considered an easy deal to complete, as they face competition from Newcastle United, and Villarreal will not let him leave on the cheap, as he’s got a £50 million release clause.

The Villans are also leading the race to sign Boca Juniors’ Kevin Zenon, as his performances in Argentina have impressed the Midlands side, as well as Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle. But the transfer stories don’t stop there for Villa and Emery, as they are also pushing to sign another player from Spain, this time a 21-year-old.

Aston Villa set to bid hard for £150k-a-year ace in January

According to reports from Spain relayed by Sport Witness, Aston Villa are interested in signing Getafe’s Christantus Uche. The attacking midfielder joined the La Liga side in July, and his performances have already caught the eye of Newcastle and AFC Bournemouth, as well as Villa.

Uche, who earns €180,000 a year, which is roughly £150,000, started his career at Campos FA in Nigeria, but in 2022 he was picked up by Moralo B. The 21-year-old stayed with them until July 2023, when he joined AD Ceuta, playing 36 times for them in all competitions.

The report states that Villa, as well as Newcastle and Bournemouth, are all in “pole position” to sign the midfielder, who has been deployed as a striker at times this season. Uche is under contract at Getafe until the summer of 2028, and they have an option to extend that by another 12 months.

Apps

11

Goals

1

Assists

0

But despite him having four years left on his contract, his time at the La Liga side seems to be coming to an end, given the interest from the Premier League. It adds that Villa and these other English teams will be “bidding hard” for Uche in January, as they all look to strengthen their team in the winter transfer window.

Graeme van Buuren has become a British citizen, meaning he is eligible to play for Gloucestershire as a local player again from the start of the 2022 season onwards.Born in Pretoria, van Buuren joined Gloucestershire in 2016 and played for the club as a local player through his wife’s British passport. Changes in registration status brought about by the UK’s exit from the European Union meant that van Buuren had to apply for indefinite leave to remain as a pathway to British citizenship, but paperwork delays brought about by the backlog created by Covid-19 left him as an overseas player last season.Related

• The End of Kolpaks – The South African View

• The End of Kolpaks – The English View

• Counties allowed two overseas players in 2021, ECB confirms

• Counties remain hopeful of two overseas players for 2021

• Brexit paperwork delay leaves van Buuren in Gloucestershire limbo

Gloucestershire had already agreed contracts with other overseas players, meaning van Buuren was limited to six County Championship appearances, four in the Blast and eight in the Royal London Cup last summer, with two permitted in the playing XI in each competition. He has now been granted his citizenship, meaning that he will be able to resume his career as a local player next season.”It’s been challenging on and off the field but there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel and I’m just fortunate still to be with the club and be where I am,” van Buuren told the club’s social media channels. “From November 26, 2021, I’m a local, a British citizen now. That means I’ll be able to play for Gloucestershire as a local player going forwards, so no more heartache and pain.”It’s a massive weight off the shoulders, not just for me but for my family. I can’t wait for the new season to come and to contribute towards the team.”

Al-Ittihad fans exhibited creativity with a Kendrick Lamar-inspired tifo during the club's 4-1 win over Al-Hilal.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Fans showed off Kendrick Lamar-inspired tifo
• Tifo read 'Not like us'
• Al-Ittihad thrashed Al-Hilal 4-1

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Marcos Leandro handed reigning champions Al-Hilal the lead in the 23rd minute but Al-Ittihad came back strongly in the match and eventually secured a thumping 4-1 win. Hassan Kadesh scored the equaliser for Laurent Blanc's side before former Tottenham Hotspur forward Steven Bergwijn scored a brace. Karim Benzema then netted the fourth goal for his side in the 86th minute to seal a memorable win.

Advertisement

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Right before kick-off at King Abdullah Sports City, the home fans held up an incredible Kendrick Lamar-inspired tifo with the words 'Not Like Us' written. It was a tribute to the famous American rapper, whose Drake diss track 'Not Like Us' has surged in popularity since the Super Bowl and has also earned the number one slot in the UK singles chart.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  With the crucial win on Saturday, Al-Ittihad are now the favourites to reclaim the Saudi Pro League title as they increased their lead over second-placed Al-Hilal to seven points. It now looks unlikely that Cristiano Ronaldo Al-Nassr will win the league title in the 2024-25 campaign as the gap with Benzema's side increased to 11 points.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR AL-ITTIHAD?

  Benzema and Co will be back in action on Wednesday as they take on Al-Khaleej in a Saudi Pro League clash.