Everton respond to second point deduction for PSR breach

Everton are now firmly threading on tightropes as the prospect of a first top-flight relegation in over seven decades looms large.

The Toffees have been hit with a historic second-point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) for the 2022/23 season.

An independent commission has handed down a further two-point deduction, adding to their initial ten-point hit back in November, which was later reduced to six.

The fresh deduction means that Everton, who beat relegation rivals Burnley 1-0 at Goodison Park on Saturday, drop from 29 points to 27, two points above both Nottingham Forest and Luton Town. 

They move to 16th in the Premier League table, two points below Brentford, although with a game in hand.

The independent commission handling the case revealed that Everton had exceeded their allowed spending limit by £16.6 million over a three-year period, breaching the PSR’s £105m loss allowance. 

Everton contested the second charge, arguing they were suffering double jeopardy as two of the years in question overlapped with a previous infringement.

However, unlike the English Football League (EFL), the Premier League lacks specific guidelines for dealing with repeat offences involving overlapping financial periods. 

Everton have also slammed the current PSR as outdated, arguing the £105m loss threshold over three years hasn’t kept pace with rising player wages and transfer fees over the past decade.

The Premier League plans to review the rules at the end of the season, but it could be too late to help Everton salvage their top-flight status.

However, they’re not throwing in the towel just yet. The club have issued a response detailing plans to appeal the commission’s decision.

They also raised concerns about the inconsistency in how points deductions are applied by different commissions.

Despite the second point hit, Everton still have every chance of surviving the drop this season. The Blues still have to face relegation rivals Luton and Sheffield United.

Sean Dyche’s troops ended their 13-match winless run with a win over Burnley. They face Chelsea up next, but they’ll fancy their chances of doing the double over the Blues, having won 2-0 in the reverse fixture at Goodison Park.