Former Everton defender Richard Dunne believes the proposed takeover by the Friedkin Group can revive the club’s fortunes.

Former Everton player Richard Dunne believes the Friedkin group “has everything” the club needs to usher in a brighter future. After ending negotiations in July, a purchase agreement for the Friedkin Group Farhad Moshiri the entire 94.1% stake in Everton was announced on 23 September.

A joint statement read: “Blue Heaven Holdings and The Friedkin Group confirm that they have reached agreement on the terms of the sale of Blue Heaven Holdings’ majority stake in Everton Football club. The transaction is subject to approval by regulatory authorities, including Premier Leaguethe Football Association and the Financial Conduct Authority.

As reported last weeksources close to TFG have told the ECHO that their client has been cautious throughout this process, but that everything is going well at the moment, with no concerns and an estimated completion date of mid- December remains the goal.

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Dunne made his debut for Everton at 17 before making 431 Premier League appearances throughout his career. Speaking courtesy of Play areathe Dubliner said: “I hope I can be optimistic about the future at Everton, I think the fans deserve that.

“They’ve been through the mill lately, and it hasn’t gone well for them at times. I hope the owners can come and give them a better future and give them the opportunity to compete on a level playing field.

“They’ve been trying to survive for so long now, Everton, that it’s getting very, very difficult year after year. I think moving into the stadium is a chance and an opportunity to move towards a better future and make everything better.

“These owners are able to support these ambitions and support the manager. There’s no better place to end this hopeful new year than in a brand new stadium.

“If they can bring the atmosphere and enthusiasm of a happy Goodison Park into the new stadium they could be a club that really moves forward quite quickly because all they need is that support because they have the support, they have the infrastructure. They have everything.

“They just need a little financial support to help them get back to where they want to be.”

Future Everton owner Dan Friedkin already runs a European football club in the form of Italian side Roma, whose Claudio Ranieri, 73, came out of retirement last week to become their fourth manager this year . However, given the economic influence of the Houston-based businessman, currently ranked 204th on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the world’s richest people, with a calculated net worth of 12.2 billion dollars (around £9.64 billion), Dunne hopes the Blues will soon be on much more secure financial footing.

The 45-year-old said: “I don’t think Everton fans want their club to have problems with the Premier League. Hopefully they can put all these financial problems aside now and start next season on a level playing field with a sense of optimism.

“They know there will be no problems in the future. You don’t want to keep looking over your shoulder, this immediately brings stability.

“The supporters deserve this ambition from their football club. In the short term I think they will be aiming for a push for the top half of the table, in the longer term they will want to challenge for the top six.

“I think that’s what Everton fans want, and I think they deserve it. Supporters’ expectations will be low initially, but they want to know that their club is going to compete in the near future.