Everton takeover: Time for rival bidders to step forward - the club cannot waste any more time

If anyone else is seriously considering investment in Everton, now is the time to show their hand.

This is a club facing a summer that is pivotal to its future and for the first time in three years, those on the footballing side of the operation should be able to spend May planning for another season of Premier League football without the distraction of Championship contingency schemes.

For the club to take advantage of this opportunity, stability is essential. Ending the ownership uncertainty is central to that but the takeover saga now looks set to extend beyond the end of the season. As 777 Partners continue to stumble at regulatory hurdles, now is the time for any rivals to step out from the shadows if they want to be considered a genuine alternative.

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This week has been dominated by events on the pitch. That is fair. The 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest was a major step towards survival. The 2-0 victory over Liverpool was then a momentous result built on the best Goodison Park performance since Sean Dyche’s first game. The deserved victory essentially ensured the Grand Old Lady would get to host one final league Merseyside derby, too.

There is, of course, work still to do. Dyche has been keen to stress the need to get mathematically safe as soon as possible and that could happen on Saturday night. Even if it does not it would take an extraordinary turn of events for there to be any jeopardy when Everton travel to Arsenal on the final day of the campaign.

Dyche and director of football Kevin Thelwell have already started planning