Callum O'Connell

Mon 4 December 2023 12:10, UK

Kieran Maguire has urged the appeal process for the Everton points deduction to be held quickly as it will cause uncertainty for the club heading into the January transfer window.

The finance expert shared his view that the ten-point deduction will change the way Everton approach the transfer window and the players they want to bring in, so they will want it resolved as soon as possible.

It was also suggested that it will affect the way Sean Dyche approaches games for the rest of the season, going into games where one point would normally be enough but looking for three instead because of that penalty.

Maguire was speaking on The Price of Football podcast [4 November] after Everton officially began the process to appeal the points deduction decision, and he discussed the possible impact behind the scenes.

“Lots of people in the Everton camp have said if we take a look at the punishment, it’s a ten-point deduction, and if you do your calculations based on the Premier League’s proposed tariff, it would be six points plus one point for every £5million above the allowable limit – that would come to ten points as well.

“This is quite a spectacular coincidence – is this evidence that the Premier League were putting pressure on the commission? The Premier League will say ‘Well, actually we asked for a 12-point deduction.'”

“There’s lots of finger-pointing. I think the most important thing is that the appeal is held very, very quickly. Clubs are working out their January transfer budget and I think having a degree of certainty and clarity is beneficial from a sporting point of view.

“Do I expect the decision to be made by the end of this month? No. But the longer it drags on, the worse it becomes for not just things such as transfer strategy but for individual match strategy.”

Maguire is right, these things all make a difference

With a ten-point deduction, it does affect more than just the position in the table. The threat of relegation and the uncertainty surrounding the club will rub off on other areas of the club. As much as Dyche will do his best to keep his players focused, doubt may start to spread.

The transfer team for example will now go into January thinking they may need some players to make an immediate impact and help in their bid for survival, where without the points deduction they could afford more of a lenient strategy and perhaps focus on the future.

Incoming players may also be more reluctant to join, with that threat of relegation meaning they could prefer a move elsewhere or to avoid Goodison Park altogether, again as a result of that sanction.

The comment on the attitude of Dyche and the players heading into games was a new view of things as well. In some games, they may think they would take a singular point, but getting all three is now the more important outcome.

In other Everton news, Sean Dyche confirmed a double injury update after the Forest clash.