Kieran Maguire is one of the leading names in football finance, therefore making him inundated with questions about Everton of late.
After all, they have been at the forefront of almost every PSR controversy from this campaign, and could still be set to suffer another deduction before the term is up.
Only in November were they handed a ten-point deduction, the largest sanction in top-flight history, before an appeal saw it reduced to six.
However, with Nottingham Forest having since got off lightly, frustrations are only growing around Goodison Park.
Fortunately, Maguire is on hand to now offer an update.
What Kieran Maguire said about Everton’s deduction
Speaking to A View From The Bullens, the football finance expert outlined a keen Everton argument which effectively debunks one of Forest’s main points of mitigation that resulted in a mere four-point deduction.
Somehow, despite a larger breach than the Toffees, they have been handed a smaller sentence.
And what makes things even worse is the clear efforts that were made to ease those issues on Merseyside, which went unappreciated. Maguire said: ‘Well, I think Everton can point to the fact that they did the decent thing, they got the sale in early, they didn’t maximise their perception of market value for Richarlison, and therefore they’ve suffered from a sustainability point of view.
‘Because Forest’s argument is by selling him for £47.5m instead of £30m, that’s helping the club’s sustainability. And it’s got a degree of logic to it.
‘Everton, by effectively believing that they had to force through the sale by the 30th of June, have not maximised the value of the player in their eyes, and probably in the eyes of quite a few observers. Therefore, they’ve suffered as a result.’
The Richarlison sale has left Everton woefully weakened up front
Whilst the sale of Richarlison was largely deemed a necessary evil at the time, largely content to allow their Brazilian talisman to leave for greener pastures, it has certainly left the club hamstrung ever since.
After all, they are now without a front man to rely upon, with the current Spurs star having stood up during his final year at Goodison Park to drag the team to safety nearly single-handed.
So, without his presence or a viable player to stand in for him, the Toffees have struggled ever since.
Frank Lampard could not deal with the persisting injury woes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and even upon his return Sean Dyche has failed to get the best out of him. Beto too has struggled to step up really either.
It is the outstanding issue that has plagued Everton for years now, and yet the Premier League have punished them for sacrificing their sole shining offensive light on schedule to align with PSR.