Former Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti is suing the Premier League club in London’s High Court. The Guardian reports that Ancelotti’s lawyers filed his claim against his former employers late on Friday and it relates to ‘general commercial contracts and arrangements’. At the time of writing, there are no further details about the claim though it is listed to be heard in the commercial court. Ancelotti, his lawyers and Everton are yet to comment on the matter.
This claim will only add more pressure on the Toffees, who have been struggling with financial issues over the past few seasons amid the construction of their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. These issues have had a knock-on effect on the club’s performance on the pitch, with the side narrowly avoiding the drop in each of the last two seasons. Last month, they secured their Premier League status on the last day of the season with a 1-0 win over Bournemouth that relegated Leicester and Leeds to the Championship. Adding to the turmoil, on Monday Everton announced the departure of three of its board members, namely CEO Denise Barrett-Baxendale, CFO and CSO Grant Ingles and Non-Executive Director Graeme Sharp. Chairman Bill Kenwright said of their departure: ‘This has been a great Board who have all worked tirelessly for the Club, no matter what the circumstances. My relationship with Denise has been known as one of the closest in football. I thank her for her many achievements, particularly her magnificent work in respect of our new stadium.’
This has all come at a time when Farhad Moshiri, who owns 94% of the club, is attempting to attract additional investment to ease the financial worries, and though it is said that a deal has been close for months, nothing formal has been announced. The situation has now been further complicated by Carlo Ancelotti’s legal action against Everton, with no further details about the claim yet to be released.