“There is simply no transparency at all”

BBC Radio Merseyside's Giulia Bould has criticized the Premier League's lack of transparency after Everton were deducted a further two points for a second breach of winning and sustainability rules.

The Toffees were deducted 10 points for their first attack, reduced to six on appeal, while fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest were given a four-point deduction for their respective breaches last month and are now appealing.

“Some people said, 'Why don't we just get the two points?' Because it still doesn’t put Everton back in the bottom three,” Bould told Monday Night Club.

“Maybe some of this is just pure desperation now. Everton have been a club of firsts and unfortunately they are now the first club to have two points deducted in a season for PSR breaches, so it's another first that they didn't want.”

“I think they will denounce the lack of transparency and now even appeal – no one has a clue, there is no framework, there is nothing online, we cannot look at other violations.”

“None of us know what we’re dealing with and now it’s just frustration.”

“I asked the Premier League if there was a source somewhere I could draw on and they said all the clubs had signed up and there was actually no framework.”

“Yes, I know the clubs have agreed to it, but I don't think any of them have agreed to it without a model. The EFL has more of a model. The First Offense Appeal Panel actually said it wasn't great, that we had nothing to look at, so they used the EFL model.

“It's just not clear and no one knows and it depends on who is on your commission and how they interpret it who might make the best argument that day.”

“There are too many gray areas now and the fans of every club will look at this and ask themselves: 'Why isn't this written down?' It has to be put on the table somehow because there is just no transparency at all.”

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds