The building of a new state-of-the-art stadium at Bramley Moore Dock appears to have crippled Everton Football Club financially.
So much so that it’s being reported that the Toffees could be subject to a third points deduction which would almost certainly send them plummeting down into the Championship.
They are still awaiting the outcome of their second hearing on another points deduction, which is due to be dealt with shortly, and Football Insider suggest a further deduction on top of those two could be a genuine possibility because of Everton’s recently filed accounts which note losses of £89m for the 2022/23 season.
Everton could face another points deduction
That follows on from losses of £121m posted for 2020/21 and £45m posted for 2021/22.
It’s a wonder that the club are being kept afloat at all, and aside from the threat of relegation, it poses the very real question of just how many of the first-team would need to be put up for sale in order to redress the balance.
Having to play for even a season in the English second-tier is likely to cripple the club further, and the last thing the club would surely want is for their new ground to become a white elephant.
It would be a reminder of the horrendous mis-management of the Farhad Moshiri era, and could take years to fill it to full capacity if Everton plummet.
Supporters on Merseyside are generally a loyal bunch and it may well be that a hard reset, however difficult that will be to endure, is the only way to keep the locals onside.
They’ll back the club if they can see it’s going in the right direction, which it clearly isn’t at this moment in time – both on and off the pitch.
From Sean Dyche’s point of view, he needs to ensure that his players ignore the noise surrounding the club and get on with doing their best in their remaining 2023/24 Premier League fixtures.