Southall insists Everton's new owners must restore ambition to the club

The American consortium, led by Dan Friedkin, has acquired Everton from Farhad Moshiri, who has been at the helm since 2016.

Southall told the ECHO: "It's the best club in the world, we just need people to come in who match that ambition and improve the team" and added: "Since we made that decision that finishing 10th was ok, the club has gone downhill from there. The ambition went and it has never come back.

"We need to make sure that the ambition comes back and we actually live up to our mantra.

"Once the ambition went, this is where we are now. Whoever takes over must have the ambition to deliver and make us the best club in the world - and if it's not, then it's the wrong person to come in."