Premier League clubs avoid points deductions by selling women’s teams

In terms of PSR, however — which carries sanctions of points deductions for breaches — all the top-flight teams are in the clear for last season.

The Premier League will bring in new rules next season similar to Uefa’s squad cost rule, but with a more generous 85 per cent limit of spending on player and agent costs compared to revenues. Clubs will still have to comply with PSR limits for this season, however, with any decisions on possible breaches to be made in a year’s time.

Everton Football Club Women Ltd was transferred to Roundhouse Capital Holdings Ltd, the Everton owner Dan Friedkin’s company, last summer. At the time, club insiders said the move was made to ensure the women’s team is a standalone entity that can attract its own investment from the United States, but also accepted that the profit would help with PSR compliance.

Everton had previously been docked six points for a PSR breach in the 2021-22 season and two points for a breach in 2022-23.

Villa’s PSR compliance was helped by the club being able to register as income the £55million for selling the women’s team to their parent company in June last year.

Chelsea were the first to spot the ability for clubs to sell assets such as hotels and their women’s team to related companies and register that as a profit for PSR calculations.

The Premier League insists it is not a loophole because it carries out rigorous fair value assessments of such “sales”. Nevertheless, it has failed on three occasions to persuade members’ clubs to change the rules to prevent such practices.

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