Keith Wyness hails Kevin Thelwell negotiations after ‘great’ Everton news
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness has credited Kevin Thelwell and the previous ownership for ensuring the club escaped further financial breaches.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 67-year-old – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – insisted it “won’t have been easy” to ensure the Toffees were compliant for the 2023-24 campaign after falling foul of the rules in the previous two seasons.
The Premier League did not issue any charges for a breach of PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules) in the 2023-24 season despite fears Everton could have been in danger of another points deduction.
Academy star Lewis Dobbin left Goodison last summer (2024) for pure profit, while Ben Godfrey and Amadou Onana were also sold.
The sales of Tom Cannon and Ellis Simms to Leicester and Coventry respectively were also a factor in escaping punishment.
Everton were hit with two deductions totalling eight points in the 2023-24 campaign for breaches of PSR in the previous two seasons.
Wyness suggested the Premier League may no longer have the “desire to pick a fight” with top-flight clubs.
Thelwell negotiating credited as Everton escape points deduction
He told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “It was always going to be close but it may have come down to the good work of Kevin Thelwell and the sales he got over the line in the summer.
“It wasn’t going to be easy, but they’ve done it.
“I think a lot of kudos is due to Thelwell and the previous ownership. It won’t have been easy at that time.
“They’ve done a great job.
“What I do detect is a bit of a thawing in terms of the relationship between the Premier League and the aggression they were showing against clubs previously.
“All the clubs have passed, whereas I get the feeling there had previously been a desire to pick a fight with clubs.
“Hopefully we can get back to football now.”
In other news, Everton want to sell 26-year-old for “£20m” and sign replacement immediately.
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