The possibility of Everton getting relegated from the Premier League took another step towards becoming grim reality this weekend after Burnley beat Wolves and the Toffees lost the Merseyside Derby to Liverpool.
Frank Lampard's men were downed by Diogo Jota and Divock Origi's goals at Anfield to drop into the relegation zone for the first time this season - with six games still to play this season, albeit with a game in hand over the Clarets. Regardless, there is a strong possibility of one of the Premier League's ever-present clubs dropping out the top flight for the first time in 71 years.
The club is at a crucial juncture. They have recently had to suspend sponsorships with businesses linked to oligarch Alisher Usmanov and they are enduring their worst season in almost two decades. Merseyside reporter Chris McKenna examines what the terrifying prospect of relegation from the top flight could mean for the Toffees.
Would Moshiri look to jump ship?
This wasn’t the dream when Iranian billionaire Farhad Moshiri started pumping his cash into the club back in 2016. They have already been handcuffed by Financial Fair Play rules which stifled summer spending for Rafael Benitez. It also meant Lampard couldn’t buy the club’s way out of trouble in January either when he arrived just before the transfer window closed. But if they go down things could get a hell of a lot worse. Moshiri, who rarely speaks in public, will surely be aghast at any sort of stint in the Championship given the lofty ambitions he had for the club. But there seems no intention to walk away for now.
Star players who would leave Goodison
There would be player exits, of course. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, even though he has not scored since his return from injury, is already of interest to the likes of Arsenal. He would want out. Richarlison and Jordan Pickford are two others who wouldn’t be short of buyers should they want to go and Everton need to cut costs. There are clauses in player contracts to reduce wages should they be relegated. This is standard and nothing out of the ordinary.
Lampard acknowledged on Friday that reputations count for little in a relegation scrap. He said: "In football terms I don’t think people should talk about us any different to the teams we are in the battle with. We have no right to not be fighting a battle against relegation, irrespective of the history. I am came to a great club, working with a squad of players who are working well and the results are the turning point of that. If we win on Wednesday, seven points buffer to Burnley, six points to Watford everything feels great if you dont it flips completely the other direction.”
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Would Lampard survive?
Of course, the manager’s future would be called into question. Lampard knows he is already at risk. He has felt the pressure at the other end of the table when in charge of Chelsea. “For me in my relatively short managerial career I probably spent 18 months at Chelsea with the same,” Lampard said on Friday ahead of a crucial clash with Manchester United. "For 18-months you are probably two games from the sack. maybe that is a symptom of football and the Premier League. That’s pressure. No problem, you sign up for that.
“I have no problem with that. Even if you get to an FA Cup final and make top four you still know the rules.. I have no problem with that in terms of speculation. We are huge club, people want to talk it. What I am is proud to manage here, proud to keep the history of the club going in a positive way. I don’t waste my time, I don’t buy into it and do my job.”
Financial impact of the drop
Everton recently announced losses of £120.9m in their latest accounts up to June 2021, obviously impacted by Covid-19. That’s despite a record turnover of £200m. It follows a record loss of almost £140m in 2020 and a further £111.8m in 2019. They appear to have escaped breaching FFP rules but they will be much stricter in the EFL should they head for the Championship. It may be down to being allowed to offset Covid-19 losses and infrastructure spending on their losses, with the club currently building a new stadium. Fine margins in the fight to stay up in terms of points. But the financial margins are a lot wider.
New stadium
What will happen to that massive project on Bramley Moore Dock if Everton go down? It is understood such a disastrous scenario is not on the agenda yet. But, with significant investment and work already underway, you would assume building work continues. Certainly the losses or cutting ties with Usmanov businesses hasn’t affected the project so far, although Everton are seeking more investment to ensure it gets finished to enable them to leave Goodison Park and move in on time for the 2024-25 season.
