John Textor is attempting to sell his stake in Premier League side Crystal Palace. The American initially purchased a 40% slice of the Eagles back in the summer of 2021. He has since increased this stake to 45% last year. Along with Textor, fellow businessmen Josh Harris, David Blitzer, and Steve Parish all currently hold significant shares of the English club.
It was previously revealed back in January that Textor may soon be looking to offload his shares of Palace. The possible move would ultimately come down to the investor’s lack of control at the club. Textor admittedly enjoys having more say in his other teams such as Botafogo, Lyon, and Molenbeek. However, Textor does not have similar control at Palace due to the other businessmen involved with the team.
The American has since reiterated this feeling in an official statement to the Financial Times. Textor recently told the publication that he is “simply not a perfect fit” at Palace. This boils down to Palace being an independent team and not fully part of his preferred multi-club ownership structure.
Textor must sell Crystal Palace stake with new Everton links
Textor is not, however, looking to sell his stake in Palace to leave England altogether. Instead, the American is hoping to use the money created in the potential sale to fund a purchase of another Premier League team. The most likely destination for the American may very well be Everton.
The Merseyside club’s current owner, Farhad Moshiri, has been attempting to sell the team to 777 Partners since September. Nevertheless, the deal has dragged on for eight months because of financial concerns within the group. Moshiri and 777 Partners have an agreement in place that the current owner cannot talk to other potential investors. This deal, however, expires at the end of May.
Despite the exclusivity agreement, Moshiri recently claimed other investors have contacted him other a possible move for the club. The British-Iranian businessman made sure to insist that the contact was unsolicited.
Textor has also now admitted to having a direct interest in buying Everton as early as this summer. “Yes (I’ve had conversations around buying Everton), with the existing constituents – different groups, different lenders, different equity holders,” the American recently told The Athletic.
“I’m watching it but 777 still has a contract. There are people that are close to the club who care a lot about it who are also investing.”
Textor would be a better candidate for Everton than 777 Partners
Assuming Textor can offload his 45% stake in Palace relatively quickly, he could very well become the favorite to buy Everton. 777 Partners have endured a long list of issues in their pursuit of the Toffees. Moshiri, the club’s brass and their fans all just want the situation’s resolution.
Palace is certainly a fairly desirable Premier League club at the moment. After all, the Eagles finished their 2023/24 campaign on fire by failing to lose any of their final seven matches of the season. The addition of manager Oliver Glasner helped facilitate the positive streak and the club ultimately finished 10th in the table. The Eagles also have a plethora of young talent in the squad, including Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi.
Textor is certainly an outspoken and candid figure in his current lineup of clubs. However, his financial standing would offer Everton a seemingly much more stable situation than currently with Moshiri or 777 Partners. The Toffees desperately need a resolution to their ownership issues as soon as possible.
