777 Partners not in Dyche talks as Moshiri update emerges in Everton takeover – report

Everton manager Sean Dyche has not held talks with prospective new Toffees owners 777 Partners since September, according to the Liverpool Echo.

The outlet reported on Saturday (24 February) that while 777 Partners have maintained a consistent presence at Everton matches, Dyche has had no further contact with the prospective new owners, instead discussing footballing matters with Farhad Moshiri.

The American-based investment firm has agreed on a deal to acquire Moshiri’s controlling stake in the Toffees but is still awaiting approval from the Premier League, with the supposed 12-week process in its 23rd week.

Dyche lifted the lid on the subject of his talks with Moshiri, saying: “Not about takeovers, just about games, the team and all that sort of stuff, not about the business of the club.”

Will 777 Partners complete their Everton takeover?

It is frankly ridiculous that Everton and 777 Partners have had to wait this long to discover whether or not the Premier League will allow this takeover to be completed. It should surely be quite clear whether they are fit and proper owners for the Toffees.

This delay partnered with the wait over whether or not the Toffees will have been successful in their appeal against their point deduction for breaches of profit and sustainability has left Dyche’s side in complete limbo.

There is so much uncertainty around Goodison Park currently that will not only be impacting the fans, but the players too as they continue to fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League this season.

Hopefully, some answers will emerge sooner rather than later with the likes of David Dein and Jamie Carragher pushing the Premier League for answers. Otherwise, it could be a long second half of the season for the Toffees.

Five things we learned from Married to The Game

Married to the Game: Five things we learned from Prime documentary of footballers & their partners

What happens when you’re due to play for a Premier League team at the same time that your wife is due in labour?

And is a two-month wedding anniversary really a thing?

A new documentary series focusing on the wives and girlfriends of top footballers in the summer of 2023 attempts to answer those questions and more.

Married to The Game was released on Prime on Friday and features the other halves of top footballers Jorginho, Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, James Tarkowski and Matt Turner.

There are plenty of glamorous holidays, massive houses and parties – such as Everton’s James Tarkowski and wife Samantha having a big do for their two-month anniversary.

But there are also sacrifices.

Plans can’t be made beyond short-term club contracts, partners and children have to be ready to relocate at the drop of a hat, and major life events are scheduled around the football season.

With a few ‘viral’ clips already being shared and discussed on social media as the series launched on Friday, here are some of the best bits from the six episodes.

Jorginho’s ‘brutal’ response to Cat Harding’s proposal comment

Arsenal midfielder Jorginho has been in a relationship with Cat Harding – a former contestant on The Voice – since 2020 and they have a son together.

The pair bonded over music and Harding is learning Portuguese – Jorginho’s first language.

However, there seems to be an awkward moment in episode one, which has already been picked up on X. It is when Harding asks her partner whether he’s going to propose that day, telling him she’s left the appropriate finger free of any jewellery “just in case”.

In what’s been described as a “brutal” response, the 32-year-old Italy international tells her the finger is “going to stay free”, before appearing to walk abruptly out of the room.

Both are smiling, but maybe the humour was lost slightly in the edit…

James Tarkowski and wife Samantha like to enjoy time in the bedroom

James Tarkowski married his long-time partner Samantha in June last year and it’s nice to see the spark is still alive.

Samantha has an interesting one-word answer when she’s asked in episode three what she and the Everton defender most enjoy doing together.

“Do you not remember when we were younger,” she reminisces, adding “we used to get in bed and be like, ‘this is my favourite part of the day’.”

In episode one, Harding also cites a similar hobby, informing the film crew they will have to evacuate the house for an hour when her husband returns home later in the week.

Ilkay Gundogan and wife Sara Arfaoui joke about their opposite temperaments

Germany midfielder Gundogan has been married to Italian actress and model Sara Arfaoui since 2022.

The 33-year-old joined Barcelona last summer after seven years at Manchester City, where he won five Premier League titles and captained the club to a historic Treble last season that also included a Champions League and FA Cup success.

Arfaoui gives some insight into what it’s like to be married to a footballer during the transfer window when she says: “You get a call in one hour and you get informed you have to go. Pick a flight and go and change your life.”

Packing for their move to Spain, Gundogan reveals he has “a certain routine” and his mother is “probably the only person” he would trust to pack for him.

Mahrez’s wife Taylor Ward ‘has no friends’ in Saudi Arabia

Algerian forward Mahrez also departed the Etihad outfit last summer after five years, signing for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli.

In episode two, his wife Taylor Ward spells out what a big deal the relocation represents, reminding her husband “Manchester is her home” and he has “automatically got 30 new friends,” in the form of new team-mates, whereas she’ll be “sat at home” on her own.

Mahrez shrugs and, without showing much sentiment, replies “it’s part of the game innit?”

The 33-year-old also appears to have had very limited involvement in the planning of his own wedding.

Ward describes the player’s responsibilities as being limited to getting the rings, organising himself an outfit and turning up on time. Mahrez just about manages those things, despite flight cancellations and an issue with the rings being the wrong size.

Ward is also pleased to discover he has even bought a pair of shoes for the occasion, explaining Mahrez caused “uproar” when he turned up to her sister’s wedding in trainers.

Matt Turner and wife Ashley Herron plan baby birth around fixtures

Nottingham Forest and USA goalkeeper Turner has two children with his wife Ashley Herron.

During the series, we get a sense of just how much the football schedule of a professional footballer can impact significant family events. In one scene, he even video calls into a pregnancy scan to organise Herron’s planned induction, so the actual birth won’t clash with fixtures.

Turner, 29, says missing scans and appointments is, “tough,” but adds: “I’ve missed so many things in my life that I’m a little bit numb to it in some ways.”

Meanwhile, Herron – a former NFL cheerleader who relocated from the US with Turner when he joined Arsenal in 2022 – says being supportive to Turner’s football priorities is “challenging”, but saying “I try to have perspective as well”.

Confirmed: Long-term absentee to return for Brighton v Everton

Long-term injury absentee Julio Enciso is set to be named on the bench for Brighton when they take on Everton in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Paraguay international has been absent since August with a knee injury but Roberto Di Zerbi confirmed that the midfielder will make his return against the Toffees.

Everton are hoping to welcome back Seamus Coleman in their own team after an injury, and will be keen to repeat their result from last season at the Amex where they claimed a stunning 4-1 win.

“Julio Enciso will return to the Brighton bench against Everton,” wrote The Athletic journalist Andy Naylor.

“The Paraguayan forward has been out since August with a meniscus tear which required two operations.”

Same again for Everton at the Amex

Regardless of which players are available for Brighton and Everton, Sean Dyche will surely be going with the same game plan in this game.

The 4-1 win in January 2023 was an outstanding performance and many will argue it was that victory that essentially saved the team from relegation, as it gave them three points that nobody expected them to earn.

But on top of that, the team were hugely unlucky not to get the win in their meeting at Goodison Park earlier this season when a late Ashley Young own goal saw them held to a draw.

Keep the team compact in defence, don’t press Brighton so they can’t pass their way between the team’s defensive structure and be clinical on the counter attack.

This would be the perfect time for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to break his scoring duck or for Abdoulaye Doucoure to get back on the scoresheet.