Everton are a club that has been hamstrung by PSR more than most, although it is undoubtedly a set of rules that has left many others frustrated.
After all, it has provided a barrier to progression for Newcastle United and Aston Villa already, both of whom have enjoyed stunning seasons in succession, qualifying for the Champions League, yet being unable to push on.
It is clear that the statutes are in place to keep those at the top on top, and thus far it is working well.
However, the latest thing to come out of it actually relates to Manchester United’s bid for Jarrad Branthwaite, as it has brutally exposed what a joke of a system it truly is.
Manchester United make first Jarrad Branthwaite bid
Having seen a £35m bid submitted earlier this week, Evertonians laughed to see such a pitiful figure emerge.
It was insulting, to lowball the Toffees in such dramatic fashion, but it was clearly done with some element of cheekiness.
After all, June 30th marks the final deadline for PSR, where teams need to have sold enough players to have balanced their books. Fail to do so and further punishments could be enacted for the upcoming Premier League campaign.
So, the decision to offer such a pathetic sum is clearly a dig at their well-documented financial issues, and an admission that the Red Devils feel like that because Everton have to sell, they will take whatever they can get.
This is exactly what is wrong with PSR.
PSR is unfairly holding Everton back
How can a set of rules meant to encourage fairer competition be used as a bargaining chip when a bigger club goes fishing around in the market?
It’s ludicrous, as a stunning and hilarious example of where the main issues with the system lie.
Not to mention that Manchester United are a club under mountains of debt, with the official figure standing at £773.3m as of March 2024 compared to Everton’s £330.6million.
The fact that a club that is nearly a billion pounds in debt can underpay for the Sean Dyche‘s star man, because the rules omit certain financial parameters, just further proves why this system is unfit for purpose.
It allows those who are on top to continue thriving, and forces those with ambition to sell prized assets or pay the price.
The sooner this archaic system is binned, the better.
