Premier League told they 'can't relegate' Man City as Man Utd & Arsenal watch on amid 'fine only' claims

Manchester City turn their focus to a huge Champions League contest with Paris Saint-Germain in France as they seek to secure a place in the top 24. The new league phase of Europe’s elite competition sees the top eight teams qualify for the round of 16 while the sides between ninth and 24th will go into a two-legged play-off for the final eight spots.

City sit 22nd after winning two, drawing two and losing two of their games so far. They are one point above PSG, who sit 25th and face being eliminated from the competition. City’s final game is against Club Brugge a week on Wednesday. Pep Guardiola’s side rounded off a positive week with a 6-0 thrashing for Ipswich Town on Sunday afternoon just a couple of days after Erling Haaland signed a huge 10-year contract with the club.

After a difficult few months, City will look to get their season back on track in the coming weeks. A number of signings are poised to arrive at the Etihad Stadium this month with deals agreed for the likes of Omar Marmoush and Vitor Reis. City are awaiting the verdict on the hearing over the 115 charges laid against them by the Premier League but rumblings have suggested that a serious punishment is not coming the way of the club.

‘Nothing more than a fine’

According to The Athletic, people with “knowledge” of the situation think that City’s punishment “will not be more serious than a fine.” Meanwhile, Stefan Borson - a former advisor to the Etihad Stadium outfit - feels the club are confident of avoiding a big punishment due to the amount of transfer activity at the club coupled with Haaland’s new deal. City have always denied the charges against them.

Addressing the club’s transfer business, he said to the i Paper: "It’s all a sign of confidence. All of the spending and recent commitments are meaningful in my view. Anyone who tries to argue this is all some kind of elaborate sleight of hand isn’t credible."

He added: “Any sensible business faced with this kind of scenario, with all that risk and uncertainty, would pause if they had a lack of confidence in the outcome of the case. “You’d go: ‘We don’t know where this is going, this season has been a bit of a disaster, let’s be cautious and have a look at it again in the summer with more clarity. So, unless you were supremely confident, you’d be cautious. And City are clearly investing aggressively. It’s consistent with the confidence they’ve articulated all the way along.”

Premier League ‘cant’ relegate Man City but can give huge points deduction

The Premier League do not have the power to relegate Man City because they are independent from the EFL. City can be issued with a huge points deduction that would in turn see them relegated. It is likely that if any punishment comes, there is no protocol to send the club down the leagues.

Finance expert Kieran Maguire told the Overlap: "In the case of City, there's actually three charges. It's not 115. Has money come in from the owners which they pretend to be from the sponsors? If that is the case, then that is fraud. That is about as serious as it gets. And, if found guilty of those charges, then the book will be thrown at Manchester City and it's going to be a massive points deduction.

"You can't relegate [expel] them because the Premier League and the EFL are independent bodies, so the EFL doesn't have to accept them. Given the Everton and the Nottingham Forest points deductions, they were both described by the commission of being 'minor breaches'. Well, what Manchester City are being accused of is major breaches over a nine to ten year period. So, you would be looking at somewhere between 60 and 100 points if you go through on a charge by charge basis. So, it would relegate them."