Perennial pessimists finally have reason for optimism

Uncertainty surrounds key figures at the club but Everton's long-term future is looking more secure

- Richard Jolly

The end is nigh. After 130 years, tomorrow will see the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. After eight, it should be the last of Farhad Moshiri’s ownership, even if he is unlikely to be there to see it. It may well prove the last of Sean Dyche’s reign, too.

Wednesday’s walloping of Wolves gives Everton a distinctly unDychean pair of scorelines in the last week – 0-4, 4-0 – but leaves them five points clear of the relegation zone. After perhaps the most fraught period in their history, there is light at the end of the (Mersey) tunnel; or, more accurately, on the Liverpool waterfront.

Everton will move to their £760m new stadium at BramleyMoore Dock next season. They should have new owners by Christmas, with the Friedkin Group (TFG)’s takeover still on course to be completed.

The alternative scenarios have felt altogether worse. During Moshiri’s tenure, there were two escapes from relegation in the last Goodison game of the season, one that had Frank Lampard bouncing on the roof of executive boxes, another that a more grounded Dyche branded “a horrible day for all concerned”. A host of prospective owners have fallen by the wayside: most recently, John Textor, whose Lyon have been provisionally relegated to Ligue 2 due to their financial dealings. Before them were 777 Partners; Moshiri’s attempts to sell to the Miami-based investment fund must rank among the most misguided and potentially disastrous episodes in Everton’s existence.

The wreckage of the 777 empire is now being contested in the American courts; A-Cap, the insurance company that underwrote its spending spree, faces lawsuits. Leadenhall, an investment firm, sued 777, alleging it was guilty of a $600m fraud.