Talk of a fire sale and impending administration angers club hierarchy

Who is the Everton hierarchy anyway? It seems pretty faceless to me. Kevin Thelwell seems to be the only name ever mentioned and surely his responsibility is limited to player disposal and recruitment.

If you don't provide informative updates, Everton, you've got to expect speculation, however groundless it might be. There's enough baseless rumour mongering on ToffeeWeb from certain quarters without even logging onto the clickbait sites.

We're giving you the chance to prove your worth... in other words, brace yourselves for the incoming out goings.

If Thelwell by his shrewd wheeling and dealing were to offload some non-key but potentially high-value assets like Onana, Godfrey and Maupay and bring 3 or 4 good replacements on the cheap through loan deals or otherwise, and keep our key players like Pickford, Calvert-Lewin and Branthwaite, then he would have done fantastically well.

Manchester United have spent £594 million over the last 5 years (2nd most in the Premier League), close to £1B in debt, have offered hundreds of local employees voluntary redundancy that only amounts to 1 player's annual wage in saving and meanwhile neglected a stadium, instead wanting the UK taxpayer to pay £1B for a new one.

They have baulked at Everton's valuation for a young player bought for its academy, demanding they lower their price, a price a club like Everton will depend on, and 15% going back into the pyramid to Carlisle Utd.

Everton on the flip side have spent minus £24.7M over the last 5 years (18th in terms of spending in the Premier League), have built and £800M stadium out of its own pocket, and have been punished for breaching Profitability and Sustainability rules twice.

They have not forced staff into redundancies and have a flourishing community charity EitC that has raised hundreds of millions over recent years for the most vulnerable people in the City that it represents.

Tell me again, that's it's Everton Football Club that's the problem?

What a ridiculous thing to say. We are drowning in debt.

The best way to do this is by borrowing a few hundred million from EitC, unless that was a little misprint Rob!

Don't know how much EitC have raised over the years? I'm guessing though that after 30 years it must be a few bob!

We've been picked on as an easy target along with Nottingham Forest.

They've all been at it. The Premier League has just been selective in choosing their targets.

Euripides, after being prosecuted for washing his strides outside the local butchers

We have heard for months that many top clubs are interested in Onana, surely it would make more sense to sell him first.

Also, there are rumours that Newcastle want Calvert-Lewin so why would we be looking to sell Branthwaite who will be an England regular next season and given his age probably worth £100M?

We won't have to wait much more than about 5 weeks to see if we're in such trouble that a Richarlison-style transfer is required before the end of the financial year. Let's just hope the illusive hierarchy have got their calculations right.

Of course Everton will seek to realise the value of their best players, continuing the same policy that has been in existence for over 30 years.

Nothing new from the Moshiri & Co camp.

Alan is right about 'What hierarchy?'

Let's hope this latest statement doesn't also come back to haunt us.

But “according to the Echo, the Blues hierarchy insist….” is slooooooooow!

This guy called Ken Lawrence regularly does write ups on us and my god has he got a massive agenda against us! I've never read so much anti-Everton rubbish in all my life!!

His match reports are embarrassing and he is the one that has made up this latest rubbish! So take it with a pinch of salt everybody and let's hope better times are ahead despite what all the haters want!

Everyone knows we are in trouble, we pretend we are not. The posturing will continue until late in the day, they who blink first will lose.

It looks likely that Jarrad Branthwaite will leave, he is our best player. I suspect that bigger clubs than Manchester Utd will want to sign him, their noisy neighbours and Real Madrid would be mad not to.

Maggie told our reporter where to go for the best source of news on transfers. Undaunted, our reporter was last seen in North Wales asking directions to Denbigh Castle...

Only Metro is a Bank, owed a secured £4M. Even a haircut looks on the long finger.

So maybe the club "hierarchy" hope if they repeat their story enough times it'll actually come true?

If that is an attempt at humour its failed miserably.

You don't often (if ever?) hear of players moving clubs while they are in the middle of representing their country at a major tournament, so that may only leave Calvert-Lewin from the above list of higher-value saleable assets who are not going to be involved at the Euros.

We might be able to get a few million here and there for lesser players like Keane and Maupay perhaps, but is that going to cut it?

Everton have given the ''gutter press'' lots of ammunition this last season and, until the situation stabilizes, those reporters will fire off more blanks.

Only a fool will say Everton won't offload some players as we know it will happen — and happens at most other clubs also at this time of the year.

Financially, they have to get things straight soon and one hopes it's going to be sensible negotiating.

Kalvin Phillips must be on big wages coming from Man City and one hopes they don't bring him in.

Everton's board have been embarrassing us for years but hopefully one day soon things will change.

With there now being 49 hours and 36 minutes to Moshiri's self-imposed deadline, let us hope this is the calm before the storm…

It has been rumoured that we will need about £40M based on last year's loss when we had the benefit of the Gordon money but this year will include fees for Demarai Gray and Alex Iwobi and a reduced wage bill with no directors' pay-offs, so should be close to last year's loss.

Alas, when attempts at humour are too close to the mark to be true...

If we can find a buyer who will pay the whole amount up front, we might have to accept (say) £40M to comply with P&SR. However, if another club wants to stagger payments and we can stave off P&SR, we should insist on £60M as a minimum.

Expecting to get £80M is simply unrealistic, given that there are going to be so many clubs struggling to contain costs after what happened to us and Nottingham Forest. There aren't enough clubs with (spendable) money to force the price up.

Too many clubs are anxious to sell players, have released players and returned loanees, for the market to sustain large transfer fees. By my reckoning, off the top of my head, there will be upward of 60 decent Premier League players available to purchase this Summer.

We own Goodison and EitC… so sell the ground to EitC for £400M. Or is that me wishing?

Answers on a postcard, please.

Good on yer, Sheila!

Let's swap Jarrad Branthwaite for Harry Maguire, we are all cracking up!

Mmmmm… Well, I suppose you could argue it is no more screwed than it was 6 months ago.

Administration has to be initiated by one of the lending parties involved..

Not sure that this is the case. Everton could move in to Voluntary Administration if the board believes it is necessary to do so, I believe.

You are right. I had a mental blank regarding Moshiri doing anything when writing that post.

I estimated that Everton have to make an overall profit of over £12M in the financial year 2023-24 to avoid being referred to an Independent Commission next season. This summer's transfers would not be taken into account until the 2024-25 financial year.

The suggested fire sale is to fund immediate cashflow, which has been funded by loan extensions from 777 Partners up to now, to the tune of over £200M. Only the club are party to the funding requirement and no-one has come up with a projected figure.

Personally, I generally ignore any rumours either about club finances or players linked to either coming or going. Sometimes there is a vestige of truth, ie, 'no smoke without fire'… but believe it when it happens as opposed to going into panic mode.

As far as players are concerned, until they are pictured either wearing an Everton top at Finch Farm, or some other team's colours at their base, it is purely speculation, or shit-stirring by headline-seeking media maggots.

It can't be denied either (talking of maggots), he who is no longer with us, and Moshiri have rinsed us. As Jim Royle would have said "Greatest Evertonian? My Arse!"

Us mortals have no control over it, so mostly avoid paying too much attention to the media speculation.

What the fuck is he doing in North Wales!

The Denbigh Castle is just by Moorfields, does a nice ale.

Based on a projection on the accumulated losses over the 21-22 and 22-23 Accounts (which are available), the losses were been in excess of the £105M PSR threshold given that the Premier League didn't agree to any of Everton's adjustments.

I know it is frustrating, but the above headline from the club's PR is playing on that.

Transfers of “homegrown” players concluded before 30 June will fall wholly into this year's accounts, surely?

Wasn't the end-of-June deadline the basis for Forest's argument over Johnson's under-valuation? Hence the reason why Chelsea (sale of hotels notwithstanding) may still have to sell players.

Fire sales might need to happen for both PSR and cashflow reasons.

“If he is sold for £25M or more before the end of June, it would all but ensure Everton do not breach PSR rules again next season.”

So says soothsaying journo hack in today's Mirror.

Last year, we were about to buy about 15 different players. This year the same. The reality is somewhat different.

No half-decent player is going to choose us over a different option unless we pay silly money and, if that is their primary motivation, I would prefer they went elsewhere.

I suspect that the vast majority of us on TW would sanction the sale, at the right money, of Onana. Thereafter, I would prefer to acquire hungry and talented players from the Championship (or similar) to reinforce what is a threadbare squad.

There must be more like Adam Wharton hidden away in plain sight. Go find them. Keeping Branthwaite for at least the next year must be the central core of any dealings.

And you've got to feel sorry for these lads: 22 and 23 and after 10+ years to be told, "Go and find yourself another job because you are not good enough to do this one (be a Premier League player)."

I would really hope that the process would start in the October or November of the previous year so they know what is going to happen and can prepare.

Actually in the '70s, when I first got married, we lived in Denbigh Castle in North Wales! 49 Castle Hill to be precise!

Cost was £2,900, it's a two-up, two-down... now worth £180,000! The world's gone mad... it's still a two-up, two-down.

It's my solemn intention to have a few pints in its namesake on my return. Funny enough, I remember a Denbigh Castle pub where the new Mersey Tunnel was built... probably long gone!

The 2023-24 Financial Year ends on 5 April 2024. The 2024-25 Financial Year starts on 6 April 2024.

Though some businesses did have other dates for the end of their Financial Year, which I never was able to understand, I don't know if that still happens.

The Denbigh Castle is still there Christine, in Hackins Hey which is between Dale Street and Tighbarn Street and of course you know Tighbarn Street where the Wedding House was, lots of memories for you there, girl!

I hope you can picture the Denbigh Castle as it was because it has had a big makeover and is nothing like it used to be. I bet it doesn't have the characters that livened the pub up years ago and loads of pubs around that time. More's the pity…

It seems to be acknowledged in all quarters that we need to make at least one big player sale by the end of June, somewhere in the region of £30M I believe, and we potentially have Branthwaite, Calvert-Lewin, Pickford and Onana up for grabs - so with that in mind, yes we need to sell one of them, and yes other clubs want them.

Those other clubs will use our well-documented financial situation as leverage to get a cheaper deal (naturally), so in a sense we will have to sell to the highest (low) bidder, which may well be at a lower price than we would otherwise want to sell at.

So in sum, we will sell someone at a lower price than the player is probably worth. Is that a fire sale? Not exactly, but it is likely we'll sell at a lower price than we'd like to so there's some semblance of truth in this, and it's exciting for the papers to report it as such.

I wouldn't get my underwear twisted over the term 'fire sale' because we all agree we will have to sell players to balance the books, and it may well end up being a fee many supporters are unhappy with.

We don't have a pot to piss in is the main takeaway here.

The press at the moment are pushing the story that Man Utd want Branthwaite but are only offering £40M to £50M and allegedly Everton want between £60M and £70M. But even if Man Utd are after Branthwaite, the player has just signed a 4-year contract so, unless he asks to go, Everton can decide to sell or not to, unless finances dictate otherwise.

But Thelwell said the other day that players will only be sold if the club's valuation is met and if the player wants to leave. So we will see if that does turn out to be the truth.

I left Liverpool in 1969 we moved up to Denbigh and have lived in this lovely town ever since in Beacon's Hill. I'm sure you know where it is.

I also remember going for a few pints in the Denbigh Castle back in Liverpool when going down to watch the Blues.

You are right. I checked with Companies House. Everton FC Ltd accounts are prepared up to the 30 June every year on their filing history.

So the 2023-24 financial year ends on 30 June 2024. So transfers before that date count on the 2023-24 accounts. I don't know if adjustments can be made for beyond that date.

Thank you for your post.

It is likely that the club will need to sell a first-team player that has a valuation above their balance sheet carrying value to meet the Premier League's PSR threshold for allowable losses.

Realising additional profit after 30 June is difficult without legally binding agreements.

Selling players later in the window to mitigate PSR didn't really wash for Nottm Forest.

All Premier League clubs have to have their accounts prepared for 30 June, it used to be that they had their accounts prepared for the end of the tax year which is the first week in April, but that was changed a couple of years back by those in the Premier League.

So any sales of players before 30 June will be able to be included in this year's accounts, that's why many clubs will be trying to do deals prior to 30 June to stay compliant with the P&S rules.

We are clearly going to have to sell before 30th June otherwise we stand no chance of passing PSR again. Also got this other deduction hanging over us with the argument over stadium loans. Ridiculous when you consider that Chelsea can sell their ground and hotel at inflated prices to other companies in the group to remain within PSR.

We owe 15% of any sale for Branthwaite to Carlisle so have to maximise that. If we sell for 80m then 12m goes to them. Utd can do one if they think they are getting him on the cheap.

The Onana situation reminds me very much of Dacourt. Back in the 90s there was a section of Everton fans bemoaning him as well then when he moved to a better quality team with players who moved into space and attacked more freely you saw how good he was. At some point some of the fans who don't rate him are going to have to question their judgement when the professionals who study football every day at the big clubs see what they don't.

That being said, it may just be his agent leaking fake stories to the press to drum up interest lol

"The press at the moment are pushing the story that Man Utd want Branthwaite, but are only offering £40M to £50M and allegedly Everton want between £60M and £70M."

I, too, am taken aback by the wildly speculative reporting of the situation around Man Utd's interest in signing Jarrad, but part of me thinks that it is not beyond Man Utd's PR machine to "put out flares" to the moronic UK tabloid press.

This could be done on the basis that their new (part) owner is a ruthless businessman who "gets what he wants" and dictates what he will pay, as if it is some sort of divine privilege to play for Man Utd, who are currently not even the best team in Manchester!

That being said, I agree with an earlier comment that no club is going to stump up £70M-plus for Branthwaite before the end of June, in which case, unless the player himself – or his agent – put in a transfer request, then the message must be that he is not for sale.

Our path would then have to be that at least two of our three other main assets are sold to try to avert PSR sanctions, one of whom must be off the books by 30 June.

That Denbigh Castle is on what's left of Cazaneux Street. The building is still there but is now a solicitors (I think). My family used to live around the corner from it till quite recently.

Regarding Onana, he is in the press this morning saying many players use tournaments like the Euros to attract bigger clubs and that's what he hopes to do. I accept that all players should want to play at the highest level but I find it disrespectful to us fans and our club that he is openly touting himself.

If, as you and he believe, he has the talent to play at the highest level, then let your performances attract the top clubs. I am one of those fans who you reckon may have to change my opinion of him.

Maybe he is super talented but I have seen nothing in his displays in a blue shirt that makes me think that. I wish he had produced those performances that you see and I didn't. Let's hope he does attract a big money move.

Hopefully Onana can have a brilliant tournament and show everyone what he is made of!

With a takeover likely to take months, assuming it even happens before administration, we will require ongoing funding to keep the lights on and finish the new stadium.

The Club's statement that there won't be a fire sale is just spin in a game of chicken. However bad we think it is, it's probably a lot worse. We've never been told the truth.

Yes, I know Beacon's Hill, behind Vale Street if I remember. My local was the Hawk and Buckle then.

We bought Castle Lodge when it was a dilapidated ruin and renovated it. I cannot say I am impressed with what subsequent owners did to it. Ah well... still pulls the heart strings!

After a dispute with the Welsh Office, we still own the moat of the castle (in name only) but it has a guardianship order on it... so no value.

Worked in Kwik Save when it opened, when you had to remember all the prices, God, I was just a kid… lol.

I knew there was one somewhere around the new tunnel, surprised the building is still there!

They are “homegrown” players whose transfer fees will hit the profit-and-loss immediately. Trouble is, as I said before, I can't see any club paying the true worth of Branthwaite before 30 June.

It would be more expedient to sell Onana but, with Euros starting soon, I can't see that happening quickly either. Besides, his sale might assist in alleviating cashflow issues but will do little to aid PSR compliance.

We're not alone though. Forest, Chelsea, Leicester and possibly Wolves are going to have to sell quickly. And Leeds too in the Championship. Arsenal, Man Utd and Newcastle Utd are going to have to sell before they can buy.

My conclusion is that, unless there are some genuine fire sales before the end of June (unlikely), a number of clubs are going to be facing points deductions next season.

Whatever way you look at it, this is just allowing clubs to prey on other clubs with lowball offers because they know that they will be desperate whilst this very strange date is in operation.

Cannon – £7.5m profit
Simms – £6m profit
Gray – £7m profit
Iwobi – £16m profit
Samuels-Smith – £4m profit

That little lot equals PSR profit of about £40M in this financial year's numbers.

This year again we will have lawyer fees. But this year won't contain Lampard, board sacking, the drop off in MSN, and we should see a slight increase in league placings despite a drop-off in salaries you'd expect. Expensive players have been replaced more cheaply.

Thank you for the information. I was unaware of the significance of 30 June. It is very significant in the transfer window as far as Everton is concerned.

Could explain the club hierarchy's (whoever they are) sensitivity. Michael may have to start a 30 June PSR Deadline day thread. It could be of interest to more than Evertonians.

Thank you for the information. I was unaware of the significance of the 30th June It is very significant in the Transfer window as far as Everton is concerned.

Could explain the Club Hierarchies, whoever they are, sensitivity. Michael may have to start a 30th June PSR Deadline day thread.It could be of interest to more than Evertonians.Brian #60

Thank you for the information. I was unaware of the significance of the 30th June It is very significant in the Transfer window as far as Everton is concerned.

Could explain the Club Hierarchies, whoever they are, sensitivity. Michael may have to start a 30th June PSR Deadline day thread.It could be of interest to more than Evertonians.

I'm not disputing your profit values on the players you named and I know transfer fees values work in different ways but could you explain how we made a £16M profit on Iwobi – seeing that we signed him for £32M apparently and sold him for much less with add-ons as part of the deal?

"…the drop off in MSN,"

That's got me doing a bit of head-scratching… Master of Science in Nursing???

Ah, here's a football one: Messi Suraez Neymar… yea, they're not as good as they were.

Men Sitting Naked…? I think I'll stop now.

Why would you think it was a good idea to say that? How does that help our negotiating position? The Clown Show is at least consistent in its ineptness.

On the other hand we could keep all of the squad and take a points deduction again or we could get creative like Chelsea and sell some spurious building for 50m.

I think "the drop-off in MSN" means "Moshiri's Specious Normality".

The basic reality is that Nottingham Forest received no real punishment as their points deduction didn't influence their finishing position in the Premier League table.

We, on the other hand, finished 15th rather than 12th (without the deduction) – which means that in real terms the deduction cost us about £10M.

I fully expect – as supposedly is due to happen this summer – that the Premier League clubs will develop a new system of regulation that will bring a less opaque and more structured form of penalty system.

We were merely the canary down the first mineshaft. Luckily we survived. Who knows what the next mineshaft is going to look like but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Premier League choosing Everton as the first club sent down there when the next year's accounts reveal themselves.

If we bought him for £32M and gave him a 4-year contract, then we charge £8M to the Profit & Loss (P&L) in the first year, £8M the second year and £8M the third year, so at that point, he is only worth £8M in the balance sheet.

If in the 4th year we sell him for £24M, then we make a profit of £16M compared to the value in our books.

Numbers may not be 100% correct but that is how Ian got to his number.

We aren't starting from zero on player trading, we already have the best part of a £40M gain in the accounting year.

Time will tell if that's enough for PSR, and whether we have to sell more to preserve the club.

Very difficult to double down when you've called it wrong on a matter of fact.

Ian is right regards profits on players being based on their written down value, not their initial purchase price against the sale price.

Brian, agree that the comments from Onana were disrespectful. However, sources at the club end Jan were saying we were looking to sell then but he said he wanted to stay and help us stay up. Again could have been agent leaking nonsense.

Does a lot of good things but I think he is having to play in a very rigid system and a positionas a 6 that doesn't quite suit him. Better as an 8 I would think with more licence to attack and players that like to counter. Our full backs are a massive problem for us attacking wise because they don't over lap meaning there is less space for our wide and central players. Makes them harder to find. He looks frustrated to me when he wants to play a quick pass but no one is free for him to pass to and he has to take too many touches.

Hey, you might be right and me wrong, time will tell!

Don't really do social media but I've never ever seen a ToffeeWebber arguing in the face of facts...opinions that's another matter entirely.