Everton news: O’Rourke shares Premier League solution to ‘huge’ sanction problem

The Premier League must hand out profit and sustainability punishments before the start of the season following Everton’s two mid-season deductions.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke urged that for the “clarity” of all top-flight sides, the Premier League must stop giving punishments during the season.

Both Everton and Nottingham Forest have been handed points deductions this season for breaching the league’s profit and sustainability laws.

O’Rourke claimed that the Premier League will “have to” look into how they deal out sanctions and suggested it was a “huge” problem for all top-flight clubs.

Premier League must offer ‘clarity’ after ‘huge’ Everton problem

The Toffees have been dealt a total eight-point deduction after they faced a six-point sanction for overspending in the three-year period until the 2021-22 season and a two-point fine for irregularities relating to last season’s accounts.

Meanwhile, Forest were handed a four-point sanction after breaching their allowed £61million spending by £34.5million in the three-year period up to last season.

Both clubs are in the midst of their appeal processes, while Sean Dyche’s side have already completed a successful appeal as their initial 10-point deduction was reduced to six in February.

Premier League clubs voted to introduce a fast-track system which would see clubs punished in the same season they were charged but this now means that deductions may not be clarified until after the end of the campaign.

The latest date both Everton and Forest must learn the outcome of their appeals is 25 May – six days after the end of the campaign.

Therefore, the status of relegation-threatened clubs may not be determined once all the fixtures have been settled.