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West Ham could be handed a lifeline as they look to escape relegation from the Premier League.
West Ham could yet be saved from relegation by a punishment that may lie in wait for one of their rivals. The Hammers are currently two points from safety having closed the gap with some fine form over recent weeks.
The Iron once looked as though they would drop off completely, but a turnaround under Nuno Espirito Santo, with the help of new signings, has seen them narrow the gap significantly.
West Ham now have a chance, but they are going to need to keep picking up points during a tricky run of games to remain in the race over the current weeks. The Iron have a big job on their hands, but according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, a points deduction could make West Ham’s lives a little easier.
Manchester City are currently facing more than 100 financial breach charges, and the verdict is yet to drop, as is the potential punishment, of course. Speaking about the situation on The Overlap, Maguire said: “The Premier League cannot relegate Manchester City to League One or League Two because that is an EFL decision and Manchester City have not had any charges proven against them by the EFL.
"Therefore, it has to be a points deduction. If we take a look at precedence, we have had Everton and Nottingham Forest with six and four-point deductions for a single offence covering a three-year period. The accusations against Manchester City cover a nine-year period, so it is far bigger.
"The numbers involved we are not certain about but they are likely to be quite significant. I think you have to add a zero to what we've seen in terms of Forest and Everton, so somewhere between a 40 and 60-point deduction would be, on merit to be consistent with what we've seen with other decisions, would make a lot of logic.
Maguire added: "If they want to go further then we don't know the severity. In the case of both Forest and Everton, they were to do with FFP purely. The accusations against Manchester City have already been hinted at, which is why it is taking so long.
"If you take a look at what happened with Juventus in Serie A, the board had to resign when they were claiming things about player wages which were proven to be untrue.
"There is an honesty issue here that would mean if Manchester City are found guilty - City are massively confident, as are the Premier League - then the board has to go and that could be a complete restructure of the club."
On the back of those comments, Hammers News chased up Maguire to follow up and ask about whether the points deduction could be handed to City this season. “Potentially yes,” he responded. “But they (Man City) could appeal.”
An appeal could drag the process out, but there is at least a kernel of a lifeline for West Ham, not that it will change their approach, with Santo knowing they must get the job done themselves and not rely on such possibilities.
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