Just under three years ago, Everton went into the November international break having toppled Crystal Palace 3-2 in a thrilling contest at Selhurst Park.
That win had taken them onto 14 points, and safely into mid-table.
Yet six days later, on the Friday in the middle of the international games, Everton were thrust into the limelight as they received the heaviest punishment ever handed out to a Premier League club for a financial breach and, indeed, the first punishment dished out for a breach of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules.
We all know how that turned out, and there’s absolutely no need to tread over old ground now.
But, this time around, in the middle of the first international break of the 2026-27 season, it is Manchester City who have, finally, been found guilty on all but one of the 115 counts the Premier League charged them with.
David Ornstein broke the news, and at the time of writing, official word is expected to follow swiftly.
There has as of yet been no sanction disclosed. That is because, as per ToffeeWeb’s understanding, this case was always set to feature a separate sanctions hearing.
We’ll have to wait and see how that pans out, but it is clearly ludicrous that an Independent Commission has taken this long to make a decision, and yet the repercussions remain unknown for now.
However, one thing is certain: Everton must be at the front of the queue, demanding the harshest punishment possible.
During the sanctions hearing, the Premier League will lay out what punishment they feel is befitting of the crime(s). Man City, who are expected to appeal the initial decision anyway, will have the chance to hit back on those suggested sanctions.
It’s all ridiculous, and we can’t get into the weeds of it here, but, assuming Man City’s appeal is unsuccessful (and it is hard to see how it can be wholly successful anyway, given the scale of the findings against them) then Everton must be insisting the Premier League are actually being serious here.
No more playing nice. No more rolling over and accepting the tickle of the belly approach that the Premier League took with Chelsea.
It’s time to be horrible. It’s time for Angus Kinnear and Everton’s representatives to the Premier League to get their big boy pants on and demand blood.
Everton were used as an example. They were the perfect size club that the Premier League could use to make headlines and prove their rules had teeth, but without upsetting the ‘big six’ apple cart.
That backfired hugely, because then the Premier League had to punish Nottingham Forest. Then they had to go after Leicester City. Then, it resulted in Burnley, because of an atrocious decision made by David Phillips KC all the way back in the spring of 2023, being able to successfully sue Everton for close to £40M.
Of course, Richard Masters and Co. — and it was them, as it was the League’s Executive Board who made this decision — then chose to be extremely lenient with Chelsea.
However, there’s no way Masters can wriggle out of this one. The Premier League robustly threw everything they could at Man City initially. Now, they must act with an equal measure of ferocity.
We will never know what goes on behind the closed doors of Premier League member meetings, but no matter how good relationships are between Man City and Everton, there’s no room for sentiment.
This is about fairness. This is about making a stand and refusing to accept that Everton can be made an example of.
That’s on the shoulders of those responsible for leading the club, and this is an opportunity to show they really do want to prove that Everton belong at the top table, and aren’t simply happy to exist while the ‘big six’ get away with it time, and time, again.