John Textor, the man tipped to be Everton’s next owner, has fiercely denied reports suggesting he plans to replace current manager Sean Dyche with Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira if he assumes control at Goodison Park.
Farhad Moshiri, Everton’s current majority shareholder, has been engaged in talks with Textor, a Missouri-born digital media and entertainment mogul often referred to as Hollywood’s Virtual Reality Guru.
However, for the deal to proceed, Textor would need to offload his 45% stake in Crystal Palace, as owning two Premier League clubs simultaneously is not permitted.
Textor, aged 58, already has a considerable football portfolio, with stakes in clubs in France (Olympique Lyonnais), Belgium (RWD Molenbeek), and Brazil (Botafogo).
He is the fifth potential buyer to show interest in Everton since 2022, following unsuccessful periods of exclusivity with the Kaminski Group, MSP Capital, 777 Partners, and the Friedkin Group.
Over the weekend, a report by Alan Nixon, posted on his Patreon page, claimed that should Textor complete an Everton takeover, he would look to replace Dyche with Abel Ferreira.
Ferreira, born on 22nd December 1978, is a former right-back who began his playing career with Penafiel, a team in Porto’s northern district. He also played for Vitória Guimarães, Braga, and Sporting CP.
Ferreira’s managerial career started with Sporting CP and Braga’s B teams before securing the top role at Braga. He later moved abroad, managing Greek side PAOK for the 2019/20 season, before taking charge at Palmeiras in Brazil.
With the São Paulo-based club, Ferreira has secured back-to-back league titles in 2022 and 2023.
However, Textor swiftly dismissed the claims, with Liverpool World quoting him in an interview with Brazilian outlet Fogao Net:
“This story about wanting to hire the Palmeiras coach is crazy. I haven’t thought about hiring him in the last two years. It couldn’t be further from the truth. I have nothing against Abel, but he is not a candidate for any offer from Eagle [Eagle Football Holdings, his multi-club ownership group] and I don’t believe he is looking for any offer.”
Sean Dyche has been Everton’s eighth manager in as many years since Moshiri took charge. Despite enduring tough conditions, including an eight-point deduction, Dyche managed to steer Everton to Premier League safety last season, securing survival before the campaign’s final month.
Everton ended the season with five consecutive home victories, which included a notable Merseyside Derby win over Liverpool – their first at Goodison Park in over 13 years.
Without the sanctions, Everton would have finished level on points with 11th-placed Brighton & Hove Albion.
Nevertheless, the Toffees have made a disastrous start to the current season. They return to action this Saturday evening against Aston Villa, but their first three fixtures have yielded little to cheer about.
Everton suffered a 3-0 defeat at home to Brighton, a 4-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, and a 3-2 home defeat against Bournemouth. That latter result was particularly painful, as Dyche’s side led 2-0 until the 87th minute before collapsing to a last-minute defeat.