Everton sell training ground naming rights to company co-owned by Arsenal investor Alisher Usmanov and majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri
Everton's training ground will be renamed USM Finch Farm after the Premier League club agreed a naming rights deal with the holding company for the businesses owned by Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov.
USM Holdings, which is also part-owned by Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, counts Russia's largest mining company Metalloinvest, Russian social network VKontakte and stakes in Uber, Alibaba, Spotify and Airbnb amongst its numerous assets.
Multi-billionaire Usmanov, one of Russia's richest men, is USM's biggest beneficiary with a 48 per cent stake in the company.
USM director Ivan Streshinsky said the naming rights deal would provide the company and its various businesses with "unique year-round global media exposure".
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"We've done considerable research into what this partnership can deliver for us and we're very excited about the difference this will make as we continue to build our brands," he said.
At the club's annual general meeting on Wednesday, Everton chief executive Robert Elstone said the club would earn £75m over five years from selling training ground naming rights and a new shirt sponsorship deal.
"I'm sure that the marketing platform this provides USM and its businesses will help them achieve their growth objectives," he said as the USM deal was announced.
"It is a significant and exciting deal for Everton as we continue to grow our commercial revenues. We’ve invested heavily into our training facilities over recent years and this deal means we can continue to provide top class facilities, which we know plays an important role in attracting the best playing talent, from academy right through to first team.”
Usmanov is a longstanding associate of Moshiri and partnered with the Iranian to buy a stake in Arsenal in 2007.
The Iranian, who sold his interest in the Gunners before investing in Everton, said him and Usmanov "do most things together" at Wednesday's AGM, but the Russian has denies suggestion he will join his partner on Merseyside.