- Everton were deducted 10 points, reduced to six on appeal, for breaching the FFP
- Premier League clubs worried about suffering similar points deductions
- Chelsea had no guts when taking penalties. Liverpool have a cause, Mauricio Pochettino’s team has no soul – Listen to the everything is beginning podcast
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Premier League clubs are reportedly preparing for a low-spending summer because they are “terrified” of breaking financial rules.
The Premier League’s FFP rules have come to the fore in recent months, with Everton being deducted 10 points in November for breaching them, although this penalty was reduced to six on appeal.
Last month, they were charged again, along with Nottingham Forest, for breaching the top flight’s spending rules, with both clubs waiting to learn their fate. Premier League clubs stand to lose £105m over a three-year period in a row, with the end of each accounting year coming on June 30.
Meanwhile, since Chelsea was taken over by a consortium led by Todd Boehly in May 2022, the Blues have spent more than £1 billion in the transfer market as they look to revamp their squad.
They have spread the cost slightly by using amortization to pay fees over a number of years by giving players long contracts, but the Blues remain the biggest spenders in the top flight over that period.
Premier League clubs are reportedly set for a low-spending summer because they are “terrified” of breaking financial rules and facing a points deduction like Everton.
Since being acquired by a consortium led by Todd Boehly, Chelsea has spent more than £1 billion.
Many feel they are in danger of breaking financial rules, but Les Bleus say everything will be fine
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Many feel they are the next club in danger of breaking the rules, although the Blues insist everything will be fine.
And according The timesTop-level club executives have warned of a summer of limited transfer spending due to their fears of breaching financial rules and facing a points deduction.
The report claims that although both Forest and Everton already face one charge, they are two clubs at risk of another potential charge.
Both may need to take action, either by selling players or securing new trade partnerships before this year’s June 30 deadline.
A club executive told the Times: ‘Anyone close to the limit is terrified at the prospect of taking risks now. “The clubs are definitely erring on the side of caution.”
The anxieties the club faces over breaching FFP rules were already evident in January, when top-flight teams spent just £96.2m, a figure vastly lower than the £780m spent 12 months earlier.
In the appeals board’s written reasons when announcing Everton’s reduced points deduction on Monday, they stated: “There is no reason to consider that (a punishment) less than a points deduction is appropriate for a breach of the PSR, as is necessary to meet the objectives of the rules.’
This suggests that the Premier League will continue to take a hard line on any FFP breaches.
Another unnamed club source told The Times: “It’s a balancing act now. We need to respect the rules but we need to remain competitive both domestically and in Europe.”
Reports on Tuesday claimed Chelsea’s rivals believe the Blues should make £100m in sales before June 30 to remain on the right side of the FFP, and former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson insists they will fail.
The report goes on to claim that the Blues have a major concern regarding the Premier League’s investigation into alleged secret payments made by the club during Roman Abramovich’s tenure.
Chelsea’s owners, led by Todd Boehly, discovered the payments after their takeover in 2022 and reported them to the Premier League, but charges are expected.
Premier League clubs spent £96.2m in January, highlighting their fears of breaching financial rules; with Radu Dragusin’s £26.7 million move to Tottenham being the biggest move in the market.
Arsenal, whose wage bill remains lower than its rivals, are not expected to be in danger of breaching FFP rules despite suffering losses worth £97m in the previous two seasons.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are not expected to be in danger of breaching FFP rules despite suffering losses worth £97m over the previous two seasons.
This is because their wage bill remains much lower than that of their rivals at the top of the table.
The report goes on to claim that part of last year’s deficit can be attributed to Nicolas Pepe’s write-off of losses.
The Ivorian cost the club £72million from Lille in 2019, but his contract was terminated last September before he moved to Turkish side Trabzonspor.