Farhad Moshiri joined Jim White on talkSPORT this afternoon to talk about a multitude of topics.
Moshiri: “It completely ruined my weekend [Chelsea 5-0 Everton]. It was terrible. Jesus. The sheer pain of the loss at Chelsea was immense. You just get numb.
“The pain was so much deeper than anything I experienced when Arsenal lost. As the majority shareholder you feel responsible.
“I think we shouldn’t forget, last year we were on a terrible run. The club is going the right way. At the beginning og the season our plan was to get in Europe. I think we’re on target”
“It’s not all doom and gloom. It’s a very unpredictable season”
Moshiri also spoke of three priorities, including a new stadium for Everton.
“I think with the stadium, I think the fans must know we’ve done the hard bit. The club are restricted to expand Goodison. We paid the debt, we’re free to do what we want and we have the finances to do it. I went to Liverpool a few weeks ago with Bill. We visited all the sites with the mayor – in our mind, we know where to go. We are committed. I can reassure the fans that we will have a stadium that rewards loyalty. This is my key aim
“We have no restrictions to spend. The manager is totally committed and ruthless; if a player is not up to it he uses another player and eventually he buys one. There are no sentimental issues there. The manager will strengthen the team in the areas he feels necessary. Koeman is Koeman: he does what he wants and I support him.
“I think the job of an owner and chairman is simply to hire and fire the manager, the rest is down to him. Once we hire a manager we back him. He has the personality, aura and ability and we trust him. In Everton’s culture the manger is the most important individual. He achieved eighth and seventh with Southampton. He needs to improve on that but it is a very difficult landscape now.
“I think the manager had seven names, four of those we got,”Moshiri said. “We tried to buy [Kalidou] Koulibaly of Napoli and they wanted £60m. It is monopoly money. We went right to the asking price and they decided not to sell.
“He [Koeman] wanted a box-to-box midfielder and we matched [Moussa] Sissoko’s asking price and actually paid more and all the terms were agreed and just before midnight we realised he had changed his mind. Lucas Peréz [Deportivo La Coruna’s forward] was all ready to sign and Arsenal took him from us at the last minute.
“For our club to compete in the north-west of England, which is the new Hollywood of football with Guardiola, Mourinho, Klopp, we needed a star to stand on the touchline so I got Koeman,” he said.
“We needed a strong balance sheet so I paid off the debts. We are now very flexible financially. We need a big stadium, no question about it. We have done the hard bit because the club was restricted to move or expand Goodison by banking covenants but I have paid the debts so we are free to do what we want and we have the finances to do it.
“The club has taken something from the fans and in our minds we know where to go and we are committed. I can reassure them they will have a stadium which rewards their loyalty and passionate support for our club. This is my key aim.”