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Everton’s Carlo Ancelotti wants Premier League to prioritise punishing ESL clubs

Carlo Ancelotti has said it would be laughable for the Premier League to investigate Everton over possible financial breaches without punishing the six English clubs that signed up for a European Super League.

Everton, along with 13 other Premier League clubs, are waiting to discover what action, if any, will be taken against Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal for threatening the breakaway league. Several clubs consider Uefa’s decision last week to withhold 5% of revenue from European competition from those involved to be too lenient.

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The Super League could have had major consequences for Everton’s planned new £500m stadium at Bramley Moore dock, which will create an estimated 15,000 jobs and generate £1.3bn for the local economy. Everton forecast they will have spent £54m on the project by the end of June – an outlay that has contributed to heavy financial losses at the club in recent years.

Premier League profit and sustainability rules allow clubs to lose £105m over a three-year period, although an average of the financial results from 2019-20 and 2020-21 will be considered this year because of the impact of the pandemic. Everton sustained a loss of £139.9m in 2019-20, with £67.3m attributed to Covid-19, a loss of £111.8m in 2018-19 and a £13.1m loss in 2017-18. The club made a £30m profit in 2016-17 and, having received planning permission to build at Bramley Moore in March, stadium expenditure can be capitalised on to the balance sheet.

Ancelotti, however, insists Everton do not have to sell players this summer to avoid breaching profit and sustainability rules and a more pressing issue for the Premier League is punishing the six clubs involved in the Super League fiasco.

The Everton manager said: “The Premier League has to solve different problems than the financial fair play of Everton. For the fact that six teams wanted to go in the Super League, first of all they have to take care of this and then, maybe, they can have a look at Everton. But we are going to look at ourselves.

“If they looked at us, with the problem they had with the top six that wanted to join the Super League, that would be funny. Of course we will take care of our financial aspect but we can buy without selling players this summer for sure. We’re all agreed on the plan we have to improve the squad and there is no doubt we are totally focused on this. We are totally agreed, from the manager, the club and the technical director, Marcel Brands.”