{{primary_category}}
{{/primary_category}} 
Kieran Maguire have 'done a complete U-turn' as talks over deal reached 'advanced stage'
It is not a surprise that Everton are in talks with Castore after previously doing a U-turn on their deal with Stake.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about Everton’s decision to partner with Castore.
As revealed by Football Insider, Everton are in advanced talks with Castore over a kit manufacturer deal despite their controversy at Aston Villa.
The UK sports brand has faced criticism from Villa for the poor design of their 2023/24 kit which is weighing down players because of the ‘wet-look’ design.
Villa are set to end their partnership with Castore early as a result, while Everton are in the process of becoming their latest Premier League client.
Everton previously signed a £10million deal with online casino company Stake despite Premier League clubs voting to ban front-of-shirt gambling sponsors from 2026/27 onwards.
Get Exclusive transfers news at Football Insider's YouTube TV channel
Maguire believes Everton are simply accepting offers with the biggest check despite it not being in the best interest of their fans.
“I’m not that surprised,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“Everton did a complete U-turn with regards to their front-of-shirt deal.
“After stating they don’t want to go down the gambling route they ended up with worse than that by having an online crypto casino, which is a multiplier of risk, in the shape of Stake.
“Stake was rejected by Chelsea fans for that exact reason so Everton will take whoever offers them the biggest cheque.
“And that won’t necessarily be in the best interests of fans because we’ve seen that Castore have had issues at Rangers, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Wolves
“Nobody seems to have much good to say about Castore in terms of quality control.
“They’re just sourcing it as cheaply as possible, not checking to sufficient detail, and then putting stuff out at a premium price.“
In other news, New Everton owners threatened with £300m legal battle