The financial turnaround of Premier League soccer club Everton got another boost Wednesday with a minority investment from a giant in the investment world who is also part-owner of the NFL’s Houston Texans.
The addition of Christopher Sarofim as a minority investor in the entity that owns Everton FC, Friedkin Group’s Roundhouse Capital Holdings, marks the latest in a string of moves meant to put the club’s financial struggles further in the rearview mirror.
Friedkin acquired Everton in December after a prolonged sale process that was made more complicated due to the club’s financial struggles in recent years. A prior agreement for Everton to be purchased by private equity firm 777 Partners collapsed last June.
Before the Friedkin buyout, Everton was in such poor financial shape that it breached the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules multiple times, resulting in point deductions that affected its spot in the standings.
As Jeffrey Kaplan of Andalusian Sports Advisors, who advised on the 2024 sale of Everton to the Friedkins, tells Front Office Sports: “We bought the team at less than fair market value and got a billion-dollar stadium for free.”
The Friedkin deal was a turning point for the club. It finished in 13th place in the Premier League this season, which was significantly better than its final position in each of the prior three seasons. It has a new stadium on the water in Liverpool that is expected to be ready for the first game of the 2025-26 season. And this summer, the club will travel to the United States to play games at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, Chicago’s Soldier Field, and Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Meanwhile, in its most recent financial disclosure issued last month, Everton said it has “completed comprehensive refinancing and repayment” of loans and reported a 14.re7 million pound ($19.5 million) increase in turnover, which is a U.K. financial term akin to total revenue in the U.S.
“Despite the challenges we have faced in recent years, and during the accounting period covered by these accounts, the hard work of everyone across the Club—on and off the pitch—has ensured we have continued to move forward,” Colin Chong, Everton’s interim chief executive, said in a statement within that annual report.
The size of the stake being acquired by Sarofim, who will become a “board observer” at Everton, was not disclosed. In addition to being a minority owner in the Texans, Sarofim is chairman of Texas-based investment manager Fayez Sarofim & Co., which has about $26.9 billion in assets under management. His addition will “further strengthen the Club’s financial base,” Wednesday’s statement said.
Representatives for Everton and Friedkin declined to comment, and a representative for Sarofim did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
