The impact Everton points deduction could have on Manchester United

Manchester United will be watching on with interest after Everton were deducted two points yesterday for their second breach of Premier League financial rules.

The Merseyside club will appeal against the decision, having had a previous 10-point deduction reduced to six back in February. Everton’s second breach is a timely reminder of the strict profit and sustainability rules (PSR) in place, which only permit a club to lose £105 million over a three year period.

At Old Trafford, finances are expected to be tight ahead of the summer window with the club targeting record player sales in order to bolster their budget and allow them to overhaul the playing squad as much as they would like.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already spoken about the challenges of FFP and PSR in modern football, with the new co-owner eager to ensure his club get the best value for all their investments and don’t needlessly waste resources that could restrict their transfer activity.

"Firstly, FFP has become a new aspect of running the football club, and it’s clearly a really critical part of running a football club,” he said. “And you have to think about how you can manage FFP to the benefit of the club. But ultimately, FFP says you have to operate the club within its own means. Effectively, it takes into account your prior expenditure, and the club’s spent quite heavily in the last couple of seasons. So that does impact FFP going forward because they’ve used quite a large part of their allowance.”

Everton’s latest charge is a fresh reminder of the consequences a club will face if they breach the financial rules, something United have already dealt with when they were fined €300,000 by UEFA for a ‘minor technical breach’ of their previous FFP rules. It would be a huge embarrassment for Ineos if their reign was impacted by a points deduction for their own breaching of those regulations.

There is also another elephant in the room: what it could mean for Everton’s best assets. While Sean Dyche’s side still look well placed to avoid relegation this season, the points deductions are a huge hindrance to those survival hopes. The knock-on effect for Everton would be enormous if they were relegated to the second-tier of English football and the huge loss of revenue could force them to have to sell some of their best players in an attempt to make ends meet.

It is particularly interesting in the case of United given they have an admiration for both Jarrad Branthwaite and Amadou Onana, two players who would certainly be more appealing purchases if Everton were under pressure to sell them this summer. United are still drawing up shortlists of their summer targets and the uncertain situation at the bottom end of the Premier League table could have an impact on the business they conduct.

The worry for them is that with Champions League qualification now looking very unlikely, their own transfer plans might have to change so that they do not overspend. Everton could tell you all about the consequences of that.