Everton are seemingly seeking to stay alive until they can move into their Bramley-Moore Dock stadium.
However, that is likely not the light at the end of the tunnel that it might promise, especially with reports suggesting that the stadium could now be sold by 777 Partners amidst the backdrop of another potential deduction for next season.
The misery never ends for the blue half of Merseyside, and yesterday’s latest two-point penalty only seeks to further reinforce that notion.
Fortunately, the club does have some vocal support in the media…
Andy Burnham makes Bramley-Moore Dock comments after new deduction
Speaking on BBC’s Total Sport Merseyside last night, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has been vocal in his condemnation of the Premier League’s latest ruling against his boyhood Everton.
And having also taken to X to voice his displeasure, his on-air rant showcases far more emotion, with his frustration clear to see.
He notes: ‘It’s a mixture of a deep weariness with it all and feeling furious about it as well. That’s how I honestly feel about this evening.
‘I just don’t think the way Everton Football Club has been treated has been right at all, before you even get to the points deduction. There’s the whole uncertainty that the Premier League have cast on the football club for months on end now, and that’s damaging as well.
‘They’ve completely ruined this season. And if you think of what they’ve done with all of that uncertainty given what’s at stake for Everton and the city region as a whole with the development of Bramley-Moore, you just think to yourself how do they justify all this?’
The Premier League are prohibiting Everton’s sustainability
It is supremely ironic how the Premier League’s rules, put in place to ensure that clubs are run in a far more sustainable way, are actually providing a hurdle for Everton to overcome in their efforts to progress.
Since Kevin Thelwell came in, there have been notable improvements.
Major sales have been made, and whilst there have been incomings, the bulk of them have been on cheap, drip-fed deals which spread payments out over many years.
This has allowed the squad to stay competitive enough despite losing the likes of Alex Iwobi, Anthony Gordon and Richarlison across the past couple of years.
However, fundamentally PSR is flawed anyway. In what way is allowing £105m losses across a three-year period sustainable in any way?
But, regardless of that, the fact that they keep deducting Everton points is enough to poke a gaping hole in their statutes.
It was revealed just last year that there is roughly £2.2m to gain or lose with each position change in the table. So, by deducting eight points in total thus far, not to mention the huge psychological damage this likely caused, they have already cost the Toffees crucial funds.
Were they to fall to relegation due to these sanctions, it would likely plunge the club into complete financial failure.
How is that for sustainability?