Farhad Moshiri ushers in bright new era at Everton ahead of 777 Partners takeover after Francis Okoronkwo news emerges
Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri could well have ushered in a bright new era upon his inevitable exit at Goodison Park with a contract development on academy wonder Francis Okoronkwo.
UK online news outlet TEAMtalk (8 November) shared that the talented youngster has put pen to paper on a new contract at Finch Farm pledging his long-term future.
A number of clubs were understood to be monitoring Okoronkwo’s contract situation at the club, hoping to prise him away with just under a year left on his deal.
However, the Toffees have moved quickly to tie him down to a new deal with an announcement expected this month with this news coming as a huge boost to everyone around Finch Farm.
Signed by Everton in 2021 after netting three goals for former club Sunderland at U18 level, the 19-year-old has excelled for the U18s and is now currently learning the ropes for the U21s since making the step-up.
The teenager immediately hit the ground running at the Blues, scoring in his first three starts for the U18’s which included a debut strike against Man United in a 3-0 rout.
He registered nine goals from 16 appearances last season, before being bumped up to the U21 squad where goals haven’t been as easy to come by, although that isn’t to say he’s not still a promising youth product.
Okoronkwo is yet to make a senior appearance for Everton in competitive football but he was with the first-team squad that went on tour to Evian in the summer and has also been with them on matchday.
The 19-year-old is said to be highly regarded within the walls of Finch Farm so majority shareholder Moshiri, despite his long-running differences with the fanbase, has certainly made a great statement regarding the long-term future at Everton convincing him to prolong his stay at Goodison Park.
The much-maligned Everton figurehead is closing in on his departure from Goodison Park soon with BBC Sport (9 November) reporting this week that 777 Partners are hoping to seal their new ownership of the club before the end of 2023.
777 are understood to have submitted all the required paperwork to the relevant authorities, including the Financial Conduct Authority, the Premier League and the FA, with all parties required to give the deal the green light to progress.
Moshiri will certainly want to be ending his tenure on a high note and give the Toffees fans some solace after a dreadful run at the top of the club, and he could well have done that by sealing Okoronkwo’s future at Finch Farm.
Losing academy prospects to Premier League rivals has become a consistent theme over the past or year or so, as seen at West Ham United and Everton certainly will not want to be heading down that worrying pathway.
The 19-year-old is one of the most gifted prospects at the club and ensuring his future certainly propels the club’s future sustainability and academy reputation amongst rivals in the English top-flight.
Moshiri has certainly now got one thing right.
