Everton now believe they missed out on an extra £20m due to PSR pressures from PL

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Everton have many valid arguments against both their ten-point deduction and this latest profit and sustainability ruling.

Found to have been in breach again by the Premier League, there are so many holes in the rulebook which allow for discrepancies and invention.

Processes can and have been changed mid-trial, and at present it feels like the Toffees are being subjected to an all-out assault from their very own division.

One of their greatest arguments against the initial decision, which was made back in November, was regarding the future of Richarlison and his true market value.

Although Tottenham Hotspur ended up capturing the Brazilian for £60m in the summer of 2022, there remain mitigating circumstances where this actually represented a figure below what the selling club wanted.

But how much did Everton actually expect to get from selling the 25-year-old? And is there an argument to be had against PSR? Let’s take a closer look…

How much did Everton think Richarlison was worth?

Well, writing for The Standard, journalist Dan Kilpatrick seeks to detail one of the main defences that the Toffees will use in their appeal process.

Desperate to recoup any points they can, and even avoid another potential deduction, they will likely need far more than just this point to justify their cause.

However, it is a strong indicator of the flaws that exist within the rules, and how the time frames set can be preyed upon by the bigger clubs that the financial statutes are so clearly there to protect.

Kilpatrick writes: ‘Everton are expected to argue (fancifully) that they could have extracted an extra £20 million from Spurs for Richarlison in summer 2022 had they not been under pressure to raise funds quickly, while Forest claim they would not have breached PSR if they had sold Brennan Johnson to Brentford in June.’

How good was Richarlison for Everton?

It is no surprise that the Merseyside outfit valued the forward so highly, for various reasons.

Firstly, the Brazil international was a mainstay for his country, and had cemented his spot in the number nine role. That alone, starring for such a big nation, should have contributed to a lofty market value.

Not only that, but without Richarlison, Everton would almost certainly have fallen to the drop during the 2021/22 season.

His ten goals and five assists in the Premier League were pivotal, largely coming at a time when they were devoid of any creativity or attacking knowhow.

He stepped up when they needed him, and cemented his hero status. Selling him would only have been justified for an astronomical price, and whilst £60m was fair, it was seemingly not close to the £80m for which they had hoped.

Although this is all circumstantial, this piece of evidence will offer a fine foundation for the rest of Laurence Rabinowitz and co to build a sound defence against any and all deductions.