The verdict on the 115 charges levelled against Manchester City is anticipated to be revealed in the next few days, with many already predicting the outcome.
Back in February 2023, the Premier League accused City of breaching Financial Fair Play rules over a nine-year period, from 2009 to 2018. The club has also been charged with failing to cooperate with Premier League investigations into their financial activities.
The accusations include not providing accurate and up-to-date financial information; not submitting precise financial reports for player and manager compensation; non-compliance with UEFA's regulations; breach of Premier League Profit and Sustainability rules; and failure to assist with Premier League investigations.
Over two years have passed since these charges were first brought, but all indications suggest a verdict is imminent. There have been rumours of significant points deductions, large fines, and even potential relegation in the run-up to this point. But what will the actual outcome be? There is a growing belief that the penalties may not be as harsh as initially thought.
Earlier this season, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola committed to the club for an additional two years. His contract was due to end after the 2024/25 season, which could have given him an easy way out if City were hit with a points deduction or even relegation.
However, he chose to stay and is now contracted until 2027.
Erling Haaland, one of the world's top strikers alongside Newcastle's Alexander Isak and Kylian Mbappe, has also pledged his loyalty to Manchester City. The Norwegian international signed a massive ten-year contract earlier in the season, showing both his and the club's long-term goals.
Playing in the Championship is clearly not on his agenda, nor is struggling at the bottom of the Premier League if any point deductions occur.
City's transfer dealings in January also turned heads. They brought in three players during the winter transfer window – Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, and Abdukodir Khusanov. All three are promising young talents who presumably considered the club's future before agreeing to their respective moves.
Manchester City's recent transfer dealings have come at a significant cost, with the club shelling out around £180million for new signings. Additionally, Erling Haaland's reported weekly wages of £500,000, which translates to £247million over his 9.5-year contract, takes the total expenditure to a staggering £427million.
Despite the ongoing investigation into 115 allegations, it appears to be business as usual at the Etihad, with the club showing no signs of concern. According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, City are confident of being exonerated and are operating as normal.
Ornstein told NBC Sports: "The important point to say from City's perspective is that they are totally confident that they will be exonerated and prove their innocence, so they're operating as usual."
He added: "We saw them do a lot of business in the January transfer window. None of that business, to my knowledge, was to pre-empt potential punishment because they don't think they are going to be punished for these alleged breaches."
Ornstein also revealed that City have not inserted any clauses into player contracts or transfer deals to account for potential punishment, suggesting that the club is confident of avoiding severe sanctions. He said; "In the contract negotiations they've been holding in recent years, the transfer talks that have taken place, no clauses have been inserted into those deals to say 'if City are punished, this is going to happen'. Players want to join Manchester City and they are continuing with everything that they are doing. They think that they are going to be fined \[at most\], let's see how it materialises."
Given their current season's performance, they might even contemplate that a points deduction at this stage wouldn't be the worst outcome. They are going through one of their least successful Premier League seasons under Guardiola and an immediate points deduction could potentially not be the worst scenario, especially if they finish outside the top five.
The upcoming days and possibly weeks will be fascinating as we await a verdict that could have a significant impact on Newcastle United and the rest of the Premier League.