The ten point deduction handed out to Everton for breaches of the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules has been reduced by six points on appeal.
The adjustment leaves the Toffees five points clear of the drop zone and up into 15th place and the news has been welcomed by the Merseyside club. The crux of the matter is that Premier League clubs are not allowed to make a loss exceeding £105m over the previous three seasons and Everton were found guilty for the three campaigns ending 2022.
The club released a statement to say they were satisfied with the reduction and were particularly pleased that the appeal committee accepted that the club had acted in good faith…and that’s an argument which could rage on for a while. It’s a point of principle for the club and they hope it will work in their favour when they face another penalty at the end of the current campaign.
While this is good news for Sean Dyche’s team today, it may not look so bright in May when the next set of charges will have been heard. Now that a precedent has been set both Everton and Nottingham Forest might expect a six point penalty, but any further deduction will only come after the end of the campaign. It’s an odd situation and one which could well affect other clubs around the relegation zone. Luton Town are the team in 18th, four points behind Forest and five behind the Toffees and manager Rob Edwards has spoken out today, saying: “We can’t bank on that or use it. What it is, is how hard we work and commitment to what we’re trying to do. These are difficult questions. I’ve not experienced this before. It’s hypothetical. We’ve got to concentrate on ourselves.”
The latest Premier League 2024 betting odds reckon the Hatters will join Burnley and Sheffield United in a swift return to the Championship, while Everton and Forest are still in the frame.
So, this is a good day for Everton, but their fans will still be looking enviously across to Stanley Park where Liverpool supporters are celebrating their dramatic Carabao Cup win. Jurgen Klopp has won his first piece of silverware of his final campaign at Anfield and his young players did him proud. Without stars such as Mo Salah, Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota, Liverpool relied on a clutch of teenagers and they stood up magnificently. But the victory over Chelsea told us everything we need to know about the genius of Klopp.
After the match Academy sensations Conor Bradley and Bobby Clark hailed their boss and fans are dreaming of an historic treble. The Reds are in FA Cup action, with a fifth round tie against Southampton on Wednesday, a match we previewed here at SBOTOP.
Ten Hag back in the spotlight
In other Premier League 2024 news Manchester United’s defeat to Fulham has put Red Devils manager Erik Ten Hag under a little more pressure and, inevitably, questions are being asked whether he is still the man for the job at Old Trafford. The arrival of Ineos boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe on the United board has put every aspect of the club under increased scrutiny, including the head coach.
Ratcliffe has already said that he wants to see Manchester United close the gap to the top of the league within the next three years and ‘knock City off their perch’, a bold statement which has caused amusement in the Sky Blue half of Manchester. But Ratcliffe is clearly a successful businessman who knows how to get results and he will have been as dismayed as anyone by the way the Red Devils were outplayed by Fulham in their first win at Old Trafford since 2003. To make matters worse Aston Vila’s 4-2 win over Nottingham Forest meant United drifted eight points behind fourth placed Villa in the race for Champions League places and, at the start of the campaign that would have been the bare minimum for the club.
Champions League football means a club is more attractive to top players and that will be a cornerstone of Ratcliffe’s strategy; but it does look a long way away.
After defeat to Marco Silva’s Fulham Ten Hag said: We fought ourselves back into the game and we get a draw, and at that point I think we deserved to win the game.” I’m not sure which match the Dutchman was watching, but the common view is that the Cottagers were the better team and, while he was missing his top striker Rasmus Hojlund, Ten Hag needs to see his team return to form without delay.
But there is the small matter of the Manchester Derby looming, and another defeat could make the United boss a little more uncomfortable.
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