Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has weighed in on the recent financial turmoil surrounding Leicester City, Everton, and Nottingham Forest, suggesting that it would have been “horrible” to see all three clubs hit with points deductions last season.
Leicester City found themselves embroiled in a Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) saga that threatened to strip them of crucial Premier League points this term.
However, unlike Everton and Nottingham Forest, Leicester managed to sidestep sanctions by virtue of their relegation at the end of the 2022-23 season. As they were no longer a top-flight team, they successfully appealed against any punishment.
Speaking live on talkSPORT on 3 September, Maguire reflected on Leicester’s narrow escape and speculated on the potential consequences had the club remained in the Premier League.
“I think that they [Leicester] would have been looking at a nine or ten points deduction for last season had they stayed up,” Maguire said.
“It would’ve been a pretty horrible situation if we’d had three clubs—Nottingham Forest, Everton, and Leicester—all subject to points deductions. It was bad enough with two.”
Maguire added that such a penalty could have drastically altered the landscape of the league, leaving Leicester’s fate in the Premier League even more uncertain.
Everton’s Struggles Continue
While Leicester may have avoided a points deduction, Everton’s woes on the pitch show no signs of abating. The Toffees have had a dreadful start to the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, finding themselves rooted to the bottom of the table with zero points.
Despite a promising summer transfer window that saw the arrival of players like Iliman Ndiaye, Jake O’Brien, and Jesper Lindstrom, expectations have been far from met. Sean Dyche’s men are already staring down the barrel of yet another relegation battle.
The club’s recent collapse against Bournemouth on 31 August, where they squandered a two-goal lead to lose the match, has only added to the growing discontent among Everton supporters.
Although the first 80 minutes of that game showed promise, with both Tim Iroegbunam and Ndiaye putting in strong performances, the final result left fans questioning the team’s resilience.
It’s still early in the season, and while there’s time to turn things around, Everton must act quickly if they are to avoid the same fate as Leicester and keep their Premier League status intact. The clock is ticking, and Dyche’s side needs to find form before the gap at the bottom becomes too steep to climb.