‘They’re deluded’ - Simon Jordan makes prediction about Bill Kenwright’s future as Everton chairman

Simon Jordan has predicted that Bill Kenwright’s time as Everton chairman is coming to a close.

The Toffees have announced major changes at boardroom level after the departures of Denise Barrett-Baxendale, Grant Ingles and Graeme Sharp earlier this month. Following that announcement on 12 June, Everton said they would reveal the fate of Kenwright in the next 48 hours.

More than a week later, the Blues have confirmed Kenwright will remain in his role. Meanwhile, majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, who has owned the club since February 2016, has taken his place on the board. In addition, Colin Chong will now serve as interim chief executive, James Maryniak has been appointed interim chief finance officer and local businessman John Spellman will become a non-executive director.

Moshiri confirmed he wants Kenwright to stay in his role during a period of transition as Everton brace for MSP Sports Capital to invest in the club. And former Crystal Palace chairman Jordan reckons that Kenwright, who has served on the Goodison board since 1989, will depart in the near future.

Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “I have mixed emotions about the whole thing. If the board are going to go and the people below Bill are going to go - they're in as a team, they should go out as a team.

“I don't believe the reaction Bill has gotten over the years has been fair and just. There are different caveats to it and people tell different versions of different events about different decisions at different times Bill has made that may have hampered the opportunity Everton have got.

“They are fourth from bottom, Bill was the chairman and that board of directors are culpable for some of the decisions that were made. I do maintain the view that Moshiri is the ultimate decision-maker and if anyone has got any ire then it should be at him if ire is the emotion people are feeling.

“If I was Bill, I wouldn't want to be there anymore. I would think I've done my very best, if it's not what you're happy with then it's time for me to step away. Clearly, Bill feels something different.

“I don't think he will be there long. I don't think he will last long and Bill will be chairman of the football club for a variety of reasons. He's getting older, he has some challenges with health and who needs this? If people believe because he's got an opinion on what happens at Everton and that his opinion stops Moshiri from making the decisions then I just think they're deluded. If they want to be angry, if that's what they think they're entitled to be, it should be at the owner.

“Not that I want to see anyone getting abused, having been an owner and don’t think it's necessarily in the best interest of anybody hounding people out of football clubs - especially the guys writing the cheques.”