Everton withdraw attraction towards their two-point deduction

Everton have officially withdrawn their appeal against a two-point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s spending rules, but their director of football, Kevin Thelwell has admitted that more ‘players will be sold this summer’. 

The club had been docked further points on April 8 after they were hit with a 10-point penalty in November for a PSR breach relating to the three-year accounting period that ended in the 2021-22 season. 

The Toffees had previously claimed that they did not feel the second sanction, that related to the period ending in the 2022-23 campaign, ‘was appropriate,’ and as they had done previously, stated their intention to appeal the decision. 

They had previously been successful in reducing their previous 10-point sanction but on Friday issued a statement announcing that they would be withdrawing their application.

In a statement, the club said: ‘Everton Football Club has withdrawn its appeal of the decision by a Premier League Independent Commission to impose a two-point deduction on the Club for a breach of the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules for the accounting period ending in June 2023.

‘A hearing, scheduled for later this month, will now not proceed, and the Club will conclude the 2023/24 Premier League season with the two-point deduction remaining in place.’

It comes after Nottingham Forest this week lost their appeal against a four-point deduction for similarly breaching Premier Leauge spending rules. 

The deduction dealt a huge blow to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side’s hopes of avoiding relegation to the Championship this season, with the club currently 17th in the Premier League table, only three points clear of the relegation zone. 

Everton, meanwhile, have battled on the pitch to pull away from danger, with their recent victories against Forest and Liverpool both helping drag Sean Dyche’s side away from the drop.  

More to follow…