Burnley and Leeds have asked the Premier League to ensure none of Everton's financial data from the last three years 'ends up in the North Sea' before any investigation into alleged breaches of financial fair play rules.
The two relegation-threatened clubs have warned they are considering bringing a case against the Goodison Park outfit over whether or not it has broken FFP laws after it recorded loses of £371.8million over the last three years.
Clubs are allowed to make losses no greater than £105m in any three-year period. As a result, Burnley and Leeds have asked the Premier League to write to Everton to tell them they must make available details of every single transaction.
They insist that no shred of evidence should go missing as it has done in the ‘Wagatha Christie’ trial between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy. The mobile telephone which belonged to Vardy’s agent, Caroline Watt, allegedly fell into the North Sea before their tria l and with it went records of messages that were central to the case.
Burnley and Leeds are keen to ensure there is no chance that any of Everton’s financial records from the last 36 months meet the same grizzly fate. Everton have been backed by owner Farhad Moshiri and, until he was sanctioned following Russia ’s invasion of Ukraine, billionaire businessman Alisher Usmanov. They brought in four new players in January in Vitaly Mykolenko for £17m, Nathan Patterson for £12m and, on significant loan deals, Donny van de Beek from Manchester United and Dele Alli from Tottenham.
Everton’s victory over Crystal Palace on Thursday meant they avoided relegation, and Burnley and Leeds believe they could have been given an unfair advantage given they have been able to play on without sanction or, at the very least, investigation. The two clubs, whose fate will be revealed today, are now calling for an independent investigation to rule whether Everton have breached Premier League rules that all 20 clubs have signed up for.
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Meanwhile, Toffees boss Frank Lampard has already talked about strengthening his squad to avoid a repeat of this season's dabble with the bottom three. He said: "We don't want to be here next season but we understand if we don't make positive moves it could be possible. What right does Everton have to be Premier League safe every year and that will continue forever more? Can we make the squad stronger and more balanced? I believe we can. There are a lot of decisions that have to be made and it is important that we look at them quickly.
“The board are interested in getting the best out of the club. We don't want to be here next season but if we don't make moves it could be possible. So we will be ready to move on that quickly. Lampard was asked if surely the message was: ‘the club is too big to be in this position’, he replied with another cold, harsh slap of reality. “Yeah, but is it? I understand that but is it? We need to try and find improvements to make sure it is not but nothing is given. We were in that position because we deserved to be. It is important to say that.
“It is a great, great feeling to stay up but the things we can do to make it better are things we have to work and effect. So we will be ready to move on that quickly." Lampard made clear he doesn’t know yet if he will be forced to sell some of his biggest stars like Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, in order to buy. He added: “I don't know, those discussions will happen quickly. I haven't felt that to be honest. if that is the case we will sit down and try and work the best way through it,: he said. I know it is a big story, I know FFP, though I genuinely don't know the details. If I had my way they’d let me keep players who perform really well for the club and let us keep as far up the table as we can, but we will see about that.”
