In the summer of 2023, Romelu Lukaku touched town at Ciampino Airport and was greeted like a hero by fans of his new club, Roma. Events of this nature are fairly common at the top levels of modern sport, but this was no run-of-the-mill arrival. Sat in the cockpit was Roma owner Dan Friedkin, who had taken part in negotiations with Lukaku’s parent club, Chelsea , in London and then ferried the Belgium striker to Italy’s capital city to complete the move.
Advertisement A qualified pilot and stuntman, Friedkin, 59, has a habit of making grand entrances. In 2017, he won an award for landing a spitfire on the beach in Christopher Nolan’s film Dunkirk. The Texan’s latest feat came this week when The Friedkin Group (TFG) agreed a deal to buy Farhad Moshiri’s majority shareholding in Everton .
It was a move that blindsided just about everyone, including rival bidder and fellow American John Textor. TFG had pulled out of exclusive talks with Moshiri in July, citing concerns over some of Everton’s debt, with Textor emerging as the new frontrunner. As recently as the end of last week, he was making confident noises about his own bid for the Merseyside club.
TFG, while back in the frame, wondered whether Textor was more advanced and they would be beaten to the punch. But in the space of a few frantic days last weekend, everything changed. GO DEEPER Explained: Everton's proposed takeover by The Friedkin Group By late Sunday, TFG had convinced Moshiri, his representatives — i.
