Everton owner Farhad Moshiri can't afford to see his club dragged into a relegation battle, according to journalist Paul Brown.
Brown believes plummeting out of the top flight would affect the Toffees' capacity to attract new investors.
What's the latest news involving Everton?
Having now gone eight Premier League games without a win, including two separate runs of three consecutive defeats, pressure is starting to mount on Rafa Benitez at Goodison Park.
In fact, after a miserable 4-1 defeat to local rivals Liverpool in Wednesday night's Merseyside derby, Everton supporters hurled abuse at directors Bill Kenwright and Marcel Brands, with chants of 'sack the board' and 'Rafa out'.
One fan even invaded the pitch to hold heated discussions with Anthony Gordon while another screamed at Brands as he headed down a Goodison gangway, telling him to 'get out'.
Indeed, it was a night of confrontation at Goodison, and Moshiri has rather tellingly been forced to publicly back manager Benitez.
He said on talkSPORT that the Spaniard will be given time to make his mark on the squad and add depth to it - suggesting he'll be given the January transfer window as an opportunity to turn things around.
What has Paul Brown said about Rafa Benitez's future?
When speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Brown wasn't quite so convinced that Moshiri will be patient in waiting for Benitez to improve results. He explained that Everton's need to attract more investment could ultimately force the owner's had.
Brown said to GMS: "I'm not sure the owner would be able to attract the investment he wants if Everton were to go down so he won't won't allow it to go on, with Everton losing games and getting sucked further and further down the table - he just can't."
Why do Everton need more investment?
Everton are planning to build a new stadium at Bramley-Moore dock and according to The Athletic, a lot of the funding for the ground will come from private investment.
Ultimately, that will be much easier for Everton to attract if they can prove they'll remain a top-flight side for the foreseeable future, so even simply flirting with relegation as they are currently could have a negative influence when trying to source funding.
After all, it will be a lot harder to offset potential loans and debt against television and matchday revenue if they're battling it out in the Championship next season.
Following the loss to Liverpool, Everton are five points away from the drop-zone but have played one game more than 18th-placed Burnley.