John Textor may face scrutiny following the announcement that Orel Mangala has joined Everton on a season-long loan from Lyon.
Finance expert Stefan Borson, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, highlighted the potential for controversy surrounding this move.
Textor is currently in an exclusive negotiation period to purchase a 94.1 percent stake in Everton from owner Farhad Moshiri.
His involvement in this transaction, while simultaneously overseeing Lyon—a club from which Mangala has just been loaned—raises questions about the nature of the deal.
Textor’s company, Eagle Football Holdings, holds substantial stakes in multiple clubs, including majority shares in Botafogo and RWD Molenbeek, and a minority stake in Crystal Palace.
The latest loan deal for Mangala, who only joined Lyon permanently from Nottingham Forest in July, has sparked discussions about the appropriateness and timing of the transaction.
Borson remarked on the situation: “It’s very hard to understand what’s happened at Lyon this summer. They bought multiple players around their year-end. They bought Mangala himself, but they also bought Niakhate from Forest for a very sizeable fee as well.”
He continued, “Clearly, people are going to talk if John Textor is doing deals with Everton while being openly in the bidding process to acquire the club. He can’t expect people not to join those dots and question what’s going on there.”
Given Everton’s challenging financial situation, the loan of a player of Mangala’s calibre could be seen as a sensible move. However, the overlapping interests and potential conflicts of interest involving Textor could prompt closer scrutiny.
Borson concluded, “It makes sense for Everton to loan a player of his quality given their financial situation. But Textor can expect some questions given the connection that’s now been made.”