Gary Lineker shares his verdict on whether Everton can avoid relegation after points deduction

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Everton’s relationship with Gary Lineker has been a pretty good one, considering the service he offered during his short stint as a player, and the subsequent love he has shown for the club in the many years since.

The 62-year-old scored a mouth-watering 35 goals in his sole year in Merseyside, before trading England for Barcelona in a hugely profitable move.

He has since become one of the country’s most beloved broadcasters, hosting and starring in numerous shows and podcasts where his views are coveted.

Given the affiliation he shares with the Toffees, there are few with such a following who are better placed to talk about Everton’s recent plight than the Match of the Day presenter, who spoke with Alan Shearer about the likelihood of his former side succumbing to the drop.

Following their ten-point deduction, issued last Friday, they have dropped into the relegation zone, but are just one win from moving out again.

Whilst speaking on his The Rest is Football podcast, he noted: ‘I don’t know about you Alan but, at the start of the season, if someone would have said ‘Everton will be docked ten points during the season, will they stay up?’ I don’t think any of us would have probably given them much of a chance, but their recent form has been encouraging enough to give them a decent opportunity of getting out of the mire.’

Will Everton avoid relegation?

If Everton are to maintain their current form, brushing aside the inevitable turmoil sure to be felt from inside, then there is no doubt that they will survive this season regardless of the points deduction.

After all, the Merseyside outfit have won six of their last nine in all competitions, losing just one of their last five in the Premier League too.

Given they were eight points clear of the drop too before the deduction, they realistically should sit in 14th, which should give them spirit.

What also bodes well for the club is that, across his 15 games this campaign, Sean Dyche is now averaging 1.53 points per match; a rate that is only set to continue improving should they keep winning.

To stretch that out across their final 27 games of the season and Everton are technically set to gain a further 41.31 on top of the four they already have.

In the last three league terms, that has been enough to finish 11th, 14th and 13th. Although this marks a short-term setback, Lineker is right in suggesting they have more than enough to avoid the drop.