Everton have had a solid period of stability in the past year or so, after continuous threats of a first relegation to the second-tier since 1951 – and fans will now be able to look back at what was a treacherous time on this day in 2023.
Everton looked good enough to be Champions League qualifier contenders in their time under Carlo Ancelotti, but a slight collapse in the second half of the 2020-21 campaign saw the Italian boss depart for Real Madrid, having finished 11th.
From there, Everton’s fortunes changed massively. Rafa Benitez came to the fore with little success, being replaced by Frank Lampard, who kept Everton up on the penultimate day of the campaign, but another turmoil-laden season followed, with Sean Dyche stepping up to the helm.
And it was in Dyche’s tenure that one of Everton’s darkest days followed, with a 10-point deduction being handed to the Toffees after breaching the Premier League’s PSR rules.
Everton FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images
Everton were handed 10-point deduction on this day two years ago
The Toffees had overspent massively on transfers in the Farhad Moshiri era, and their poor dealings had caught up with them eventually.
The Premier League’s clubs are only permitted to lose a maximum of £105million over a three-year period, though Everton’s losses from 2019-20 through to 2021-22 amounted to £124.5million, with the pandemic failing to help matters.
The punishment was the largest in Premier League history at the time, leaving Everton perched only above Burnley in the table.
Table Team Games played Points
16. AFC Bournemouth 12 9
17. Luton Town 12 6
18. Sheffield United 12 5
19. Everton 12 4
20. Burnley 12 4
It was an amalgamation of various incidents. Overspending on new players, the cost of building the Hill Dickinson Stadium and a loss of match day revenue through the pandemic all contributed.
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At the time, Farhad Moshiri had agreed to sell his stake to interested buyers 777 Partners, but that deal never went through, whilst the likes of Anthony Gordon and Richarlison were sold.
Furthermore, lower league finishes under Rafa Benitez and Frank Lampard also contributed to less prize money.
Everton have improved on and off the pitch since then
The points deduction did little to further Everton’s relegation woes.
Despite losing to Manchester United in their first game back, where Alejandro Garnacho scored an outstanding overhead kick, the Toffees then won their following four games to launch themselves way beyond the relegation zone.
Although Everton then failed to win in 14 games, from Christmas until early April, which saw them just one point above the relegation zone, another strong run to end the campaign saw them lose just two of their final nine games with five wins.
They rolled the dice with Premier League survival, but since then, it’s only been uphill. David Moyes steered Everton to a 13th-placed finish, and with 15 points from 11 games this season, the charge is certainly on for a European space if they can pick up form a slight bit before Christmas – especially after The Friedkin Group’s £107m injection to the club, which was announced today.