Four key areas for Everton's new owners to address

Everton fans last saw silverware in 1995 when they lifted the FA Cup

The deal has finally been signed and the Friedkin Group has been handed the keys as the new owners of Everton Football Club.

A once great institution of English football with nine league titles and five FA Cups to their name, the Toffees have suffered difficult times in recent years and struggled at the wrong end of the Premier League.

Financial issues and a threadbare squad clouded the club during Farhad Moshiri's ownership, so supporters will be hoping the new incumbents can bring back some long-awaited optimism.

BBC Sport looks at four key areas the group needs to address.

Galvanising a discontented fanbase

Roma supporters have protested against the Friedkin Group's ownership of the Serie A club

British-Iranian businessman Moshiri invested more than £750m in the club and leaves with the legacy of delivering the club's stunning new stadium on Bramley-Moore Dock, though his tenure will largely be remembered for fans' protests and displeasure over his running of the club.

With most of the club's debt turned into equity, being paid off or restructured, and the new stadium on the horizon, sources close to the Friedkin Group feel they have grabbed a "bargain" in taking over the club.

One task now is to galvanise a fractured following as Everton enter a new era, which is easier said than done.

Jeers and murmurs of discontent often fill the air at Goodison Park, which the Friedkin Group has experienced during its ownership at Roma, so it will need to engage with the passionate but frustrated supporters.

The Everton fan advisory board said in September that it was hoping to meet with the group to "help them to understand" what supporters expect from the new owners.

But all is not well at Roma.

Podcaster Andy Mattioli told BBC Radio Merseyside there is a "tense atmosphere" between the owners and supporters, adding: "The fans are angry. Many of them are saying: 'Sell us - because in four years you have clearly misunderstood what we are all about.'"

That fury stems from the sacking of club legend Daniele de Rossi just four games into this season and a poor start to the campaign sees the club lie 12th in Serie A, just two points above the relegation zone.

According to Forbes, chairman Dan Friedkin is worth £6.15bn but the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules (PSR) mean splashing the cash with a marquee signing will not be feasible, as Saudi-backed Newcastle United have found out.

Everton's net debt rose to £330.6m in their latest accounts, and having fallen foul of financial rules which led to deductions totalling eight points last season, any spending will need to be invested wisely.

Upon completion of the deal on Thursday, incoming Everton chairman Friedkin said in an open letter to supporters: "Whilst we are new to the club, we fully understand the vital role Everton plays in local culture, history, and the lives of Evertonians here and around the world."

The new executive chairman Marc Watts added: "As stewards of Everton, we look forward to showing our commitment to the club through actions, not words.

"Our long-term vision is to harness the passion of fans and great qualities of the club to realise Everton's full potential."

Dyche's future

Dyche has kept Everton in the Premier League for the past two seasons

Manager Sean Dyche was appointed in January 2023 following the sacking of Frank Lampard with the remit of maintaining the club's ever-present record in the Premier League.

Survival was pulled off by the skin of their teeth courtesy of Abdoulaye Doucoure's second-half winner against Bournemouth on the final day of that season, finishing one place and two points above the drop zone.

The 53-year-old ex-Burnley boss was rightly given plaudits for last season's achievements when the team were deducted eight points and he steered them to 15th place, a comfortable 14 points above the relegation zone after a strong finish.

Everton may have been expected to push on this term but instead find themselves in another scrap to stay up, currently in 16th place, just three points above the bottom three, with fans growing tired of the style of football which is seen as being insipid and one-dimensional. Only bottom club Southampton have scored fewer than the Toffees' 14 Premier League goals.

Dyche is out of contract at the end of the season, so the Friedkin Group needs to decide whether it offers him new terms or appoints someone new.

At Roma, it has demonstrated it is not shy of making managerial changes.

The group is on its fourth manager in 2024 following the sackings of the popular Jose Mourinho and ex-captain De Rossi, with his replacement Ivan Juric lasting only 12 games before veteran Claudio Ranieri was called out of retirement.

Strict spending constraints

New ownership could see an overhaul of the club next summer, with eight players out of contract, according to Transfermarkt.

The future of Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the most significant one in question, with the striker yet to extend his contract, though club sources have told BBC Sport they remain hopeful of coming to an agreement.

Club captain Seamus Coleman, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Idrissa Gueye and Ashley Young are other first-team players approaching the final few months of their deals.

Director of football Kevin Thelwell's contract expires in the summer too so it remains to be seen whether he is offered a new deal, while changes at boardroom level will include the appointment of a new chief executive.

Since the start of the 2022-23 season, when Thelwell oversaw his first transfer window, Everton have implemented considerable cost-cutting measures to balance the books and are the only Premier League side during that period with a positive net spend of £80m.

At the other end of the scale, Sunday's opponents Chelsea have the biggest negative net spend of about £652m during that same timeframe.

Everton signed a total of 21 players - with significant fees paid only for players aged 25 or under - and either sold or released 26 players, particularly those who were older and high-earning.

The largest transfer outlay was on Amadou Onana for £33m from Lille in 2022 and the Belgium midfielder went on to join Aston Villa in the summer for £50m.

Because of the PSR position, the strict spending constraints mean Everton have had to utilise the free transfer market and the four loan recruits in the summer were the most of any top-flight club.

The deals of Armando Broja, Jesper Lindstrom, Orel Mangala and Jack Harrison come to an end in June too, with no guarantees of those players being signed permanently.

The women's team

Lack of finances and an inability to help an ongoing injury crisis has also left Everton in a precarious position in the Women's Super League for the past two seasons.

But the takeover could spark a rebuild as manager Brian Sorensen hopes to add depth to his squad in the January transfer window.

Sources close to Everton say the club have a list of targets they hope to act upon with the takeover complete.

Among them is a potential £100,000 bid for Arsenal midfielder Kathrine Kuhl, who enjoyed a successful loan spell at Everton between January and May 2024.

Players and staff are expected to meet with representatives from the Friedkin Group to discuss ambitions for the women's team.

There are already plans for both the men's and the women's first teams to visit the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in the new year.

Occasional WSL matches are also expected to be held there once the move is complete, as has happened at Goodison Park.