Exclusive: Leicester points deduction update – ‘They’ve still got issues’ says expert
Leicester are facing the uncomfortable prospect of their entire summer being marred by the threat of a points deduction.
That is the view of football finance expert Dan Plumley, who told Football Insider that “these things tend to drag”, as the EFL is dealing with “lots of other cases”.
After stomping their way to promotion in the 2023/24 season, the Foxes fell back into the Championship with a whimper.
The club spent nearly £80million in an attempt to strengthen their squad and retain their place in the Premier League, but the decision to sack Steve Cooper and replace the former Nottingham Forest boss with Ruud van Nistelrooy proved disastrous.
Another issue the Midlands club had to contend with last season was their battle with both the Premier League and EFL.
In September 2024, Leicester won an appeal for an alleged breach of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR), as according to BBC Sport “an independent panel found the Premier League did not have the jurisdiction to punish the Foxes as the club had been relegated to the EFL Championship when their accounting period ended on 30 June 2023.”
The league changed their rules as a consequence of this loophole, but the Midlands club have been charged with a fresh set of financial breaches following a lengthy arbitration case, giving the Premier League jurisdiction over the club [BBC Sport].
With PSR seemingly dictating much of the club’s business this summer, the club looked to be waiting to sack manager Van Nistelrooy after the 31 June accounting deadline.
But in a surprise move, Leicester sacked the Dutchman on 27 June and are instead deferring his compensation package till July [MailOnline].
Leicester forced to wait to learn points deduction fate
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, finance expert Plumley warned that Leicester could be forced to wait for another extended period of time to learn their fate.
However, the senior lecturer from Sheffield Hallam University still expects the club to be competitive on the pitch, despite the effects Leicester’s charges will have on the on-pitch side of things.
He said: “The Premier League charge and the way they got around it with the EFL and now that loophole has been closed as well, they’ve still got issues in the background with that.”
Plumley added: “But again, the EFL is dealing with lots of other cases of clubs that are struggling across the league system.
“The Premier League have got other things going on as well, so these things tend to drag sometimes a little bit.
“And I know that’s tough for the fans, but there’s a lot of cases going on at the minute, and yeah, that one’s got to play out as well in terms of what move Leicester make next.
“But irrespective of all of that, as I said, I still expect them to be competitive in that league on the pitch.”
Leicester looking to finally get summer business underway
The Foxes have seemingly been stuck in stasis, awaiting various outcomes and deadlines before getting their summer business underway.
But with a little more clarity on the managerial front, in the sense that Van Nistelrooy is gone, the club can finally get going in the transfer market.
Jamie Vardy’s departure from Leicester has left the club in need of a new striker, and Mick Brown told Football Insider Sam Greenwood could be set to move to the King Power.
The striker has endured two underwhelming loan moves with Preston North End and Middlesbrough in recent seasons, but the hope will be that with plenty of Premier League-calibre players behind him, the 23-year-old can be the man to fire the Foxes to a return to England’s top-flight.