Borrowed money, political concerns and 777 - unravelling Everton's finances

Concern around the state of Everton has now reached high-level political circles as one of the region’s most influential figures has sought reassurance over the club’s future.

Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region and chair of a strategic Government advisory panel, has written to Blues chiefs as he adds his voice to calls for answers over the direction of the club.

His intervention comes with Everton appearing to rely on borrowed money as it attempts to reach what it hopes will be a new dawn, with prospective owners 777 Partners this month becoming the latest to pump funds into the club. That Farhad Moshiri’s failed project is relying on support from the group seeking to replace him, before it has even undergone official due diligence, is a damning indictment of the mess the billionaire is trying to escape. Much of it is of his own making.

The loan, of around £20m, is understood to have been intended to help Everton cover some club and stadium costs while 777’s takeover bid seeks approval from regulatory bodies including the Premier League. It means the Miami-based investment firm is the latest organisation to offer financial assistance to the club with its future clouded in uncertainty...

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The precise status of Everton’s finances is a subject of intense speculation and increasing concern as attention grows on a club that is central to the social and economic fabric of Merseyside. The instability that has engulfed the club has been fuelled by Moshiri’s long term search for investment - a hunt that started at least 18 months ago,