The scale of TFG’s commitment to Roma has prompted a fresh question over where Everton sit within their owners’ football ambitions.
Roma’s proposed new stadium at Pietralata recently cleared a major administrative hurdle, with the Lazio regional authority describing the project as an investment worth more than €1bn. Work is targeted to begin in spring 2027.
That development has now been discussed by Everton podcast A View From The Bullens, with contributor Steve Kelly questioning whether it offers an indication of the hierarchy within TFG’s multi-club operation.
“Are we maybe now seeing first hand that Roma are the number one club for TFG?” Kelly asked.
Everton and Roma circumstances are different
It is an understandable question, although the stadium investment itself doesn’t establish that Roma are being prioritised above Everton.
The Blues moved into Hill Dickinson Stadium last year, with the vast majority of that project already completed before TFG took control in December 2024. Roma, by contrast, still share the Stadio Olimpico with Lazio and have spent years attempting to establish a permanent home of their own.
There is nevertheless some historical context behind Kelly’s question. Before completing their Everton takeover, Dan and Ryan Friedkin told Roma supporters that adding another club would not diminish their commitment in Italy, describing Roma as remaining “at the heart of our football ambitions”.
TFG subsequently set out its own ambitions for Everton after completing the takeover, including strategic investment in the first-team squad, building a sustainable future and maximising the potential of Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The scale of Roma’s new stadium project therefore doesn’t prove there is a preferred club within the Friedkins’ portfolio. But with two major European clubs under the same ownership, and TFG overseeing significant projects at both, comparisons between the resources and attention afforded to each are unlikely to disappear.
Steve has rightly asked the question. What happens at Everton and Roma over the coming years will ultimately provide the answer.
