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      Why did Everton get hit with a 10-point deduction and could the Toffees have got a more harsh punishment?

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      EVERTON have been slapped with a 10-point deduction – and have plummeted towards the bottom of the Premier League as a result.The Toffees are now only one place off the bottom – above last-placed Burnley only on goal difference – despite picking up four wins and two draws from their 12 games.
      Everton have been hit with a 10-point deductionCredit: Getty
      Why did Everton get hit with a 10-point deduction?
      Everton were found guilty of one count of breaching Financial Fair Play rules.
      The Premier League has called for the punishment after Everton recorded heavy financial losses over the past three years.
      The Prem’s permitted amount is £105m.
      The Toffees posted financial losses of £44.7million for the 2021-22 season – bringing their three-year total to £124.5m, £19.5m over budget.
      The Premier League do allow teams to go over budget under very rare circumstances – including the building of a new stadium.
      Everton are currently in the middle of building their new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock.
      But, in total, the Merseysiders were only £19.5m over budget, meaning a much less severe punishment was imposed.
      The league had initially proposed a six-point deduction for FFP rule breaches PLUS an additional point for every £5m over the limit.
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      While the commission claims to have declined to follow that plan, that would equate to roughly 10 points – suggesting the punishment fit the crime.
      What has been said?
      Everton have released a statement revealing their intention to appeal the decision, which they claim is “unjust”.
      The statement reads: “Everton Football Club is both shocked and disappointed by the ruling of the Premier League’s Commission.
      “The Club believes that the commission has imposed a wholly disproportionate and unjust sporting sanction. The club has already communicated its intention to appeal the decision to the Premier League. The appeal process will now commence and the club’s case will be heard by an Appeal Board appointed pursuant to the Premier League’s rules in due course.
      “Everton maintains that it has been open and transparent in the information it has provided to the Premier League and that it has always respected the integrity of the process.
      “The club does not recognise the finding that it failed to act with the utmost good faith and it does not understand this to have been an allegation made by the Premier League during the course of proceedings. Both the harshness and severity of the sanction imposed by the Commission are neither a fair nor a reasonable reflection of the evidence submitted.
      “The club will also monitor with great interest the decisions made in any other cases concerning the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.
      “Everton cannot comment on this matter any further until the appeal process has concluded.”
      Has a Premier League club ever had a points deduction?
      Everton are the first Premier League club to be hit with a points deduction for breaching FFP rules.
      However, Portsmouth were deducted nine points in March 2010 after going into administration for failing to pay debts of around £65million. More

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      Man Utd fans in meltdown as club consider transfer for ‘baller’ centre-back with Varane falling down pecking order

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      MANCHESTER UNITED are reportedly considering a swoop for RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba.Lukeba, 20, joined the Bundesliga side in a £28million transfer from Lyon in August, but his impressive performances have already attracted interest from elsewhere.
      Man Utd are interested in Castello LukebaCredit: Getty
      According to German outlet BILD, Man Utd are keen on the prospect of signing him.
      The Red Devils initially considered a move for Lukeba earlier this year but did not submit a bid.
      RB Leipzig then went on to secure his signature but United officials have continued to monitor the midfielder.
      Erik ten Hag and his team have been impressed with Lukeba’s rapid development in recent months, with scouts relaying several positive reports.
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      The prospect of signing the young midfielder has excited many Man Utd fans, with one person tweeting: “The guy is so fantastic I have watched him several times.”
      Another added: “He’s a baller tbf.”
      While a third said: “Wouldn’t believe it if I saw him in our shirt, too good of a signing.”
      The Red Devils have missed out on a number of bright young talents in recent years due to poor recruitment strategy.
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      However, chief executive Richard Arnold is set to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season, with director of football John Murtough expected to follow.
      That will pave the way for Sir Jim Ratcliffe – who is set to purchase a 25 per cent stake in Man Utd – to bring in new people for the jobs.
      Ten Hag is understood to be eager to bolster his squad in January and at the end of the season.
      The Red Devils have already been linked with a move for both Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana and Lecce striker Nikola Krstovic.
      A new defender is understood to be high on Ten Hag’s priority list, with Raphael Varane falling down the pecking order. More

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      Ivan Toney torn over January transfer despite Arsenal and Chelsea interest as he vows to repay Brentford debt

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      ENGLAND hitman Ivan Toney is torn over a January move, SunSport can reveal.The Brentford ace will return to action after Christmas and is widely tipped to leave the West London club.
      Ivan Toney is weighing up his options ahead of the January transfer windowCredit: PA
      Arsenal are thought to be at the front of the queue for his services.
      But a source close to the player said Toney – banned for gambling offences – feels he has a “debt to repay” to Brenford and to the club’s manager Thomas Frank which means any move could be held off until the summer.
      The source said: “A lot of people assume Ivan will be on his way after Christmas, but no deal has been done – and nothing has been decided.
      “Ivan is torn over his future. Brentford have stood by him and the club have been brilliant. Part of him wants to help them by hitting the ground running straight away in January and scoring the goals which will ensure they stay in the Premier League.
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      “There are a lot of clubs interested in Ivan but his focus, for now, is getting back on the pitch at Brentford and doing the business for his manager Thomas Frank, to whom he feels he has a big debt to repay. The same goes for the fans.
      “He’s determined to get back in the England squad and Ivan fully believes in himself to make the first squad once he’s back playing football.”
      The source also said Brentford are under no pressure to sell their ace striker.
      “They don’t need the money,” the source said. “Toney is their player and they will only consider selling him if the offer is right for the club.
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      “As far as the manager is concerned he is planning for his return in January. Ivan will come back in and be a key member of the team.
      “Thomas Frank realises nothing lasts forever and that his star man will probably move on one day.
      “But he hopes to have Ivan until the end of the season at least – then they will reassess.” More

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      Everton hit with 10-point deduction and plunged into relegation zone after they are found guilty of breaching FFP rules

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      EVERTON have been hit with a 10-point deduction by the Premier League for breaching profit and sustainability rules.The sanction takes place with immediate effect which means the Toffees drop five places and are now in the relegation zone – and only off the bottom thanks to goal difference.
      Everton have been hit with a ten-point deductionCredit: PA
      The Toffees broke rules by recording losses of £124.5million for the 2021/22 seasonCredit: Getty
      Everton have been plunged into a relegation battle following the sanction
      Everton’s sanction means they are the first Premier League team to be hit with a points deduction for breaching FFP rules.
      The club have been punished for breaching profit and sustainability rules after recording financial losses of £44.7million for the 2021-22 season – bringing their three-year total to £124.5m
      That exceeds the Premier League threshold, which permits a maximum loss of £105m across three years, by £19.5m.
      Everton have released a statement revealing their intention to appeal the decision, which they claim is “unjust”.
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      The statement reads: “Everton Football Club is both shocked and disappointed by the ruling of the Premier League’s Commission.
      “The Club believes that the commission has imposed a wholly disproportionate and unjust sporting sanction. The club has already communicated its intention to appeal the decision to the Premier League. The appeal process will now commence and the club’s case will be heard by an Appeal Board appointed pursuant to the Premier League’s rules in due course.
      “Everton maintains that it has been open and transparent in the information it has provided to the Premier League and that it has always respected the integrity of the process.
      “The club does not recognise the finding that it failed to act with the utmost good faith and it does not understand this to have been an allegation made by the Premier League during the course of proceedings. Both the harshness and severity of the sanction imposed by the Commission are neither a fair nor a reasonable reflection of the evidence submitted.
      Most read in FootballEverton points deduction

      EVERTON have become the first Premier League team to be deducted points for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations for profit and sustainability.
      The Toffees’ ten-point hit comes after an independent Commission determined Everton recorded losses of £124.5million as per Premier League regulation calculations over the three years up to 2021-22 – exceeding the permitted £105m limit.
      The Goodison Park club have posted financial deficits for five years in a row.
      Manchester City are fighting 115 charges of FFP breaches put forward by the Premier League last season.
      Only two clubs in Premier League history have been docked points.
      Middlesbrough saw three points deducted in 1996-97 for failing to fulfil a fixture against Blackburn.
      In March 2010, Portsmouth had nine points stripped for entering administration.
      Both Middlesbrough and Portsmouth were relegated following their respective points punishments.
      The ten-point deduction drops Everton to 19th in the Premier League table, level on four points with bottom-club Burnley.

      “The club will also monitor with great interest the decisions made in any other cases concerning the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.
      “Everton cannot comment on this matter any further until the appeal process has concluded.”
      Sean Dyche has overseen four wins from 12 games this season but his side are now 19th, sandwiched between bottom-placed Burnley and Sheffield United.
      Boyhood Evertonian Jamie Carragher slammed the Premier League’s decision, claiming the punishment is “excessive”.
      He said: “The 10-point deduction for Everton is excessive and not right, considering they have been working with the Premier League about this for the last couple of years.
      “Would it have been better to be evasive & try & drag it out like other clubs?
      “No doubt relegated clubs will have put big pressure on the PL to deal with Everton, but when you consider 6 clubs tried to leave the PL and there was no sanction at all it doesn’t feel right.
      “Until other clubs are sanctioned Everton will feel they are being used to show there is no need for an independent regulator, and they are right.”
      Everton’s sanction has led some to consider whether other clubs could face a similar punishment – Manchester City were charged with breaching 115 regulations over 14 season from 2009/10 to last season.
      One former financial advisor to City has claimed the club could be relegated if hit with similar sanctions by the Premier League.
      Fans are convinced City could be demoted to the National League given the number of charges they face.
      Gary Lineker reacted by saying: “With Everton being docked 10 points it will be very interesting to see if other clubs are sanctioned.”
      Leicester, Burnley and Leeds could reportedly sue Everton for £300m – with each club estimating they lost £100m from their respective relegations to the Championship last season.
      It is understood the three sides contacted 777 Partners – the Merseyside outfit’s new owners – to state their intention to sue if they were found guilty.
      Everton are at risk of losing seven stars due to their financial problems, including Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jordan Pickford, Dwight McNeil, Andre Onana, James Tarkowski and Vitaliy Mykolenko.
      Despite their issues, the Toffees have still been tipped to survive by a Premier League supercomputer. More

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      Man Utd ‘enter race to sign in-demand Monaco star to bolster midfield but face competition from Juventus’

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      MANCHESTER UNITED have joined the race to sign Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana, according to reports.Erik ten Hag is eager to strengthen his squad amid United’s poor run of form.
      Man Utd have joined the race to sign Youssouf FofanaCredit: Getty
      And a new midfielder is understood to be on his list of priorities.
      The Red Devils signed Mason Mount in a huge £60million transfer from Chelsea in July, but the 24-year-old has been limited to just four Premier League starts so far this season due to injury.
      Sofyan Amrabat, Christian Eriksen, Amad Diallo and academy star Kobbie Mainoo have also been hit with injuries since the start of the season, while Donny van de Beek remains out of favour.
      Ten Hag is now on the hunt for a new midfielder to add to his ranks.
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      And according to French football reporter Fabrice Hawkins, Fofana is one of his top targets.
      Man Utd see the Frenchman as an ideal replacement for Casemiro, who has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford in recent weeks.
      Fofana’s current contract expires in 2025, so several clubs are monitoring his situation.
      Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are in the race to sign him alongside Man Utd.
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      Fofana joined Monaco in a £13million transfer from Strasbourg in 2020 and has since made 152 appearances for the Ligue 1 side.
      He had the opportunity to join Nottingham Forest in the summer, but rejected a move before stating: “If you’re choosing between Monaco, Fulham and Nottingham, naturally I stay at Monaco.” More

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      Fans say ‘even when he’s not playing he still assists’ as ‘K. De Bruyne’ is credited as writer for new Drake diss track

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      DRAKE fans were shocked after a K.De Bruyne was credited as a writer for one of the songs on Drake’s new album.Wick Man, the 27th song on Drake’s new double album ‘For All The Dogs – Scary Hours Edition’ has three songwriters credited in the production of the track.
      Kevin De Bruyne has been pictured with Drake in the pastCredit: Twitter
      K.De Bruyne is credited as a writer for Wick ManCredit: Twitter

      They are A.Graham (Drake), A.Mamam (New York Producer known as The Alchemist) and K. De Bruyne.
      The mystery over whether Kevin De Bruyne was deepened after the footballer was credited as a writer by music website Genius.
      De Bruyne has been ruled out of football action since August with a hamstring injury that required surgery.
      But it looked as though he had been putting his time away from the field to good use by entering the studio alongside Drake.
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      The song itself has no reference to football within it and mostly focuses on Drake’s life and rap beefs.
      In the track, Drake appears to re-open a long running feud with fellow American rapper Pusha T.
      Fans on X, formerly known as Twitter were quick to joke about De Bruyne’s off-field contribution.
      One account wrote: “Even when he’s not playing he still finds a way to assist someone.”
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      Another fan wrote: “A wonderful assist from KDB but this time to DRAKE.”
      A third wrote: “He’s born to assist.”
      De Bruyne has now confirmed that the artist credited on the song is NOT him after tweeting: “@Drake needed an assist.”
      He then added in a follow up tweet: “All jokes aside, it’s not me! Huge fan though!”
      The artist featured is in fact Koen De Bruyne, a Belgian pianist who lived from 1946 until 1977.
      Manchester City are hoping that De Bruyne can return to fitness before the new year with Pep Guardiola offering an update regarding his fitness this week.
      Guardiola said: “I spoke with him and he said he feels really good.
      “He’s not training with us yet and I don’t know when he will. I would say he’s in the last phase before he trains with us again.” More

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      Arsenal fans say ‘my centre-back’ as they spot Gabriel’s reaction to sitting opposite Newcastle pair on Brazil duty

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      ARSENAL fans hailed Gabriel Magalhaes after spotting his reaction to sitting opposite a pair of Newcastle players while on international duty.The Gunners and their boss Mikel Arteta were incensed after they were on the end of several much-disputed decisions during their recent 1-0 loss to Newcastle.
      Arsenal believe that Joelinton fouled Gabriel in the build up to the Newcastle winning goal this monthCredit: Getty
      The defender still looked stern-faced on international duty when Newcastle’s Buno Guimaraes got a birthday cakeCredit: X
      Arteta felt Anthony Gordon’s goal should not have stood after questions were raised about the ball going out of play in the build up to the goal.
      A number of replays were assessed at Stockley Park as VAR refs checked whether the ball had gone out before Joe Willock regained possession but there was no clear angle to determine it conclusively and gave the on-field referee’s decision the green light.
      Willock then crossed it as Joelinton tussled with Gabriel Magalhaes, which Arteta felt was a foul, before the ball fell to Gordon, who was deemed not to be offside, to slam home.
      PGMOL chief Howard Webb has revealed that all of the decisions were correct despite Arsenal’s damning statement backing their manager’s outburst.
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      Although Webb revealed on the programme “Match Officials Mic’d Up” that both Kai Havertz and Bruno Guimaraes should have been sent off – as previously stated by the Premier League’s Key Match Incident Panel.
      However, players involved from both sides have teamed up this week as they left their clubs to report for international duty.
      And that led to Arsenal’s Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli linking up with Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle with Brazil.
      Toon midfielder Bruno celebrated his 26th birthday on Thursday, and he was presented with a cake by his team-mates prior to their 2-1 World Cup qualifying defeat in Colombia.
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      A still from the scene was shared on social media, and it showed Magalhaes looking sternly on sat next to Martinelli while Bruno received his cake sitting with Joelinton.
      Arsenal supporters were quick to make fun of the scene as the image spread on social media.
      “If looks could kill,” responded one supporter to seeing the image.
      Along with a series of laughing emojis, another commented: “Proper Gunner. That’s my CB.”
      “He’s actually still thinking about the two hands that was in his back,” joked a fellow fan.
      Another Gooner joked: “I would have added 10 boxes of laxatives in the cake if I were him.”
      One called his Gabriel’s look “absolutely brilliant” as another called him a “proper Gunner”. More

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      Reece James visits Chelsea fan in hospital who ‘died for 20 minutes’ with heart attack during 4-4 draw with Man City

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      CHELSEA captain Reece James posted an emotional message to fans after he visited a heart attack victim in hospital.Cole Palmer’s last-ditch penalty secured the Blues a point against his old club Manchester City on Sunday after a pulsating 4-4 draw.
      Reece James posted an emotional message to fans after meeting a supporter who suffered a heart attackCredit: Getty
      He visited the man in hospital this week after the terrifying incident during the Man City gameCredit: Instagram
      Chelsea fell behind three times during the Premier League clash, but they rescued a point in the fifth minute of additional time.
      However, there was a terrifying ordeal in the Stamford Bridge stands after a Chelsea supporter had a heart attack.
      He was clinically dead for 20 minutes before heroic medics managed to save his life.
      He is now recovering in hospital, and this week he received a visit from Chelsea’s skipper to help boost him in his health battle.
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      The 23-year-old full-back James shared a photo of himself alongside the supporter and followed that up with a message to his 3.1 million Instagram followers.
      He wrote: “I visited a hospital this evening to see a Chelsea fan that suffered a heart attack at our game against Man City, he was dead for 20 mins and the medics managed to save his life.
      “He was a strong man with an amazing family, I’m so happy he’s recovering well.”
      James continued: “Life is so precious and unpredictable.
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      “Anything could happen at any point, so enjoy every moment even when things are tough.
      “Be kind and always show love, you never know what people are going through or what is round the corner.”
      He then signed off with: “Stay well and see you soon. Reece.”
      James will return to Premier League action for Chelsea after the international break when they travel to Newcastle on Saturday 25 November.
      He was surprisingly left out of Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad for their upcoming dead-rubber Euro qualifiers with Malta and North Macedonia.
      James suffered a hamstring injury in training in August and was sidelined for two months.
      But he is still not back to full match fitness and his club were keen to manage him closely in the final stages of his recovery with boss Mauricio Pochettino asking his captain to request to be left out of Three Lions duty. More