Everton CEO update as The Friedkin Group aim to replicate Daniel Levy decision

The Friedkin Group are in not a rush to appoint Everton’s next chief executive, reports suggest.

The key backroom position remains filled by Colin Chong, who has served in an interim role since June 2023. Chong took up the mantle after ex-CEO Denise Barrett-Baxendale departed along with chief finance and strategy officer Grant Ingles and non-executive director Graeme Sharp after fan protests against the previous board of directors.

But after purchasing Everton from Farhad Moshiri last month, creating a new hierarchy has been a priority for TFG. The American firm’s president Marc Watts has been appointed executive chairman while Analaura Moreira-Dunkel is a director.

A permanent CEO is required, though, to drive the Toffees forward off the pitch ahead of their move to the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock next season. TFG have instructed recruitment firm Nolan Partners to help them fill the key position.

The Athletic reports that the net ‘has been cast ‘far and wide’ but the aim is to find the correct candidate instead of a ‘quick fix’. It is suggested that possible candidates ‘are watching the search with interest’ but there is a dearth of possible people who could take up such a prominent role in the UK.

Lina Soloukou served as AS Roma CEO under TFG. However, after her exit from the Italian outfit, she has now opted to join the Blues’ Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest.

But because Everton have no CEO, it’s said it won’t stop TFG from making major decisions at the club - including Sean Dyche’s future. Goodison Park manager Dyche has come under pressure after last weekend’s 1-0 loss at AFC Bournemouth, which leaves the Toffees just a point above the Premier League relegation zone. Reports have suggested TFG were in talks with former Chelsea boss Graham Potter over potentially replacing Dyche.

Speaking before tomorrow night’s FA Cup tie against Peterborough, Dyche said: “(I’ve had) no indication (from TFG), just that: ‘We’ve got no reason to think other than you’. I think we should have won more games and need to win more games.

“Whether they have or haven’t (spoken to others), they certainly haven’t told me that. If they have, it’s succession planning. Clubs of this size, people sometimes forget it’s a business and it’s how I’d be operating if it was my business.

“I’ve had my knocks and I’m getting them again now. I’ve been through it before and it’s how you handle it, trying to always support the club. The club is always bigger than me; I’m just a custodian. I’ve handled it bloody well so far, I think. So now it’s, ‘Can I go and win some games? Can I take it on another level and reinvent the narrative?’.”

In addition, Bloomberg reports that JPMorgan Chase & Co are working on TFG’s behalf to more than £300 million of debt to support a stadium refinancing. Everton will move to the state-of-the-art facility, with a 52,888-seat capacity, in August and have the first of two test events next month. It is reported that Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona have raised US private placement debt for new stadiums.