Everton manager Sean Dyche does “not necessarily” believe he will have to sell players this summer to help the club with profitability and sustainability regulations.
The club have this season been deducted a total of eight points for two separate breaches accounting for the last four years and there remains a concern the problems could carry over into next season.
Having made a loss of £89.1million for the 2022-23 season – Premier League rules allow clubs to lose maximum of £105m over a three-year period – there is already talk of them having to make a big sale in the summer to offset any more issues.
With the proposed takeover of the club by 777 Partners still uncertain as it enters its eighth month, there is no clarity over what the financial position might be going forward.
Midfielder Amadou Onana, who arrived from Lille in a £33m deal two years ago, defender Jarrad Branthwaite – a £1m signing from Carlisle in 2020 – and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford represent the club’s most saleable assets but Dyche does not think it is inevitable one will have to go to balance the books.
“Not necessarily. There are obvious questions to be answered about the new ownership – possible new ownership might change things,” he said.
“There are a varied amount of things that have to go into the PSR, not just that scenario.”
The ongoing takeover saga continued to lurch from one problem to the next this week after 777 were late paying a £15m loan to cover April costs and the club reportedly called in a leading firm of restructuring and insolvency advisers to help manage their debts.
After securing their top-flight status at the weekend, Dyche would ordinarily have been wanting to ramp up plans for next season but he and the club remain in limbo.
“We are still waiting on more news. I met with the group once and that hasn’t changed,” he said.
“It’s out of my hands. I’m just waiting to see what the news brings. The powers that be here will be operating at that level.
“Kev (Thelwell, director of football), the staff, everyone is taking an open view because we’re not quite sure of the financial things, of course, which way it’s going to go.
“We’re looking at a broad view at what football offers you as regards to players, contract situations and all the rest that goes with it.
“That’s all we can do at the moment before narrowing down in the summer, which all teams have to do.
“It doesn’t change that much. Of course, it does if someone comes along and says: ‘Here’s an amount’.
“But most clubs at this stage of the season will be open-minded, planning on different scenarios and then as the season comes to a finish, start narrowing down to what you can proceed with. That’s what we’ll be doing.”