“They hardly invest” – Everton sent another 777 warning as icon hits out at delayed wages

Belgian icon Philippe Albert has fired a warning towards Everton regarding 777 Partners, criticising their management of Standard Liege.

The former player turned analyst has been speaking to Gazet van Antwerpen about the situation at Standard, as they currently find themselves fighting against relegation.

The Belgian giants are 11^th in the 16 team Jupiler Pro League, with just one point separating them from 13^th placed Charleroi.

It’s a dire situation for the Belgian giants, who have won the league 14 times, the Belgian cup eight times and were UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup runners-up in 1981-1982.

Much of the blame has been pointed towards 777 Partners, who added the club to their group of clubs in March 2022 and have been beset by problems since that takeover.

The latest incident saw the owners accused of not paying players on time, with Isaac Hayden returning to Newcastle from a loan spell in Belgium and criticising every aspect of the club afterwards.

That should sound as another warning bell for Everton, whose Farhad Moshiri has agreed a deal to sell to the American group but is yet to have it ratified by the Premier League.

And Albert has been sending out more warning signals today, criticising 777 Partners and everything that’s going on at Liege.

“Football in Wallonia is in crisis. You can’t get around that if you look at the results of the latest seasons,” he said.

“Charleroi has been running flat for a year and a half. At Standard, Ronny Deila packed up because he understood that he could not provide a miracle for two years.

“The problems are mainly of a financial nature. Charleroi was forced to sell Nkuba to Genk this winter. At Eupen, Qatari investments have been scaled back for some time. Or take Standard since the takeover by 777 Partners. How many clubs do they have in their universe? Five?

“Well, Standard must be about the only club in which they hardly invest. Players have already been paid two months late: they had to wait twenty days each for their monthly salary. How do you want to get the most out of your employees?

“That is a problem in every company, even outside football.

“Don’t you also see that with Textor, the owner of RWDM and some other clubs? It’s hard enough to manage one club, let alone five.”