This season has been an unrelenting pit of misery for Everton, as torrid form has given way to a financial crisis seemingly impossible to solve.
Farhad Moshiri has completely lost interest, and as such the club is relying on shady outside investment just to keep the lights on. It is a sad state of affairs for a club so steeped in tradition, forced into such a state by a sorry owner.
His desperation to leave is unsurprising given how he has regressed the Toffees, and is now staring down the barrel of a second PSR sanction.
Despite achieving some success in their recent appeal, it might not be enough to ensure safety should they receive further punishment.
Will Everton get another points deduction?
Although it is expected that Everton will once again fail to comply with PSR, there is also an expectation that the earlier sanction will offer a fresh defence against another huge punishment.
Therefore, whilst a points deduction remains wholly possible, any sanction, likely another six-point penalty, would have to be reduced by two-thirds.
That is due to two of the three years in question having already been tried, earlier this campaign.
Writing for The Athletic, Paddy Boyland has offered an insight into the thoughts of both the club and the league on the matter: ‘The fact is that Everton and the Premier League believe there has been another breach — at least, if the league sticks to its position on how interest costs are treated and that the loss of Player X does not mitigate the overspend.’
The Premier League have made a mess out of this season
Whilst the finances in football were quite clearly spiralling out of control, the manner in which the Premier League have gone about trying to curb it is pitiful.
After all, going for the likes of Everton and Nottingham Forest, whilst also restricting Aston Villa and Newcastle, showcases a clear bias towards the ambitious few seeking to upset the traditional ‘big six’.
Meanwhile, it is they who boast enough financial might to pick the outstanding players from these teams as and when they please, thus resulting in a monopoly of the division.
Whilst Chelsea spend with reckless freedom, and Manchester City and Manchester United have been dominant in the transfer market for a decade now, little old Everton have been crushed under the dominant weight of the Premier League for the most minimal of infractions.
They are guilty, and likely will be again this time around, but the hope is that those deciding the punishment will come to a far more measured conclusion on the right sanction for such an alleged crime.
Regardless, the manner in which the Premier League have handled this season has been farcical, negatively affecting everyone under their umbrella.
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