Former Everton FC owner Farhad Moshiri directed lavish spending on players but new CEO Angus Kinnear says that under current owner The Friedkin Group the club’s decision-making will be data-driven. Tony McDonough reports

Everton FC’s new chief executive Angus Kinnear says the club will put data and analytics at the heart of its decision-making in a major shift in strategy.

Previous owner Farhad Moshiri oversaw lavish spending on players during his tenure at the club and also went through several first team managers. However, this did not translate to success on the pitch with Everton flirting with relegation.

In December 2024 Mr Moshiri sold his majority stake in the club to the US-based The Friedkin Group (TFG). They have wasted little time in reviewing its operations from top to bottom and now the pace of change is set to accelerate.

Earlier this week Everton’s new chief executive, Angus Kinnear, took the helm after spending several years as CEO of newly-promoted Leeds United. And in an interview with evertontv he has outlined his priorities and ambitions for the club.

A key plank in his strategy will be significant investment into data and analytics. Under the ownership of FSG, Everton’s local rival Liverpool has been one of the pioneers of a data-led approach to decisions such as transfers and the hiring of managers.

FSG owner John W Henry was one of the early adopters of the ‘Moneyball’ analytics approach that became prominent in US baseball in the early 2000s. FSG also owns the Boston Red Sox baseball outfit.

In late April, City AM reported Everton was in talks to acquire a data company to assist first team coach David Moyes with player recruitment. Preliminary recruitment would be outsourced to this company which would also assist TFG’s other club AS Roma.

In the interview with evertontv Mr Kinnear said: “I think there’s been a move in recent years to a single director of football model and that can be challenging.

“We’re going to move to a broader, flatter structure, where we have experts in data and analytics, in football operations, in recruitment and talent ID, and then in player trading.

“Some of those people have already come on board and there are going to be some more announcements over the next couple of weeks. I’ve been delighted by the quality of individuals that we’ve been able to attract.

“I think when Everton fans see it, they’re going to be really reassured that we’ve got, I think, a world-class football operations team in place who’ll be there to support David, who we think is a world-class manager.”

Everton will kick-off the forthcoming Premier League season at its new £750m stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in Liverpool Waters. However, its current iconic home Goodison Park will be retained as the new home stadium for Everton Women.

Mr Kinnear believes The Toffees’ move to the “truly world-class” Everton Stadium will be “a real catalyst for positive change” by providing increased revenue streams and a platform to build a team befitting of “one of the best stadiums in Europe”.

He explained: “I think it’s a fantastic move. I think it’s bold. I think it’s not without its risks and without its challenges. But that’s what I want to be. I want to be a part of a club which pushes the boundaries and takes risks and embraces those types of challenges.

“And I think to be able to preserve the heritage of this wonderful ground and be the first team in the Premier League to effectively entrust a Premier League stadium with its women’s team is a bold and brave move.

“I think it’s the type of move that really has the potential to unlock the Women’s game, not just for Everton, not just in the city of Liverpool, but nationally as well.

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“For Everton to effectively be operating two Premier League-standard stadiums, one for the men and one for the women, really sets us apart and creates a fantastic platform for growth.”

On this summer’s plans for the senior men’s team, he added: “There’s a huge restructure to be done in terms of the squad. I think it’s pretty unprecedented at Premier League level.

“But I think David and I see that as an opportunity to take the team on to the next level, to build on all his good work and fundamentally to have a team which is looking up the table.”

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