Man City 'confident' of winning Premier League appeal as squad overhaul plan revealed

Manchester City remain "confident" that they will successfully appeal against the Premier League's verdict on their financial breaches, sources have told Football Insider.

The Citizens are set to be found guilty of 114 of their 115 charges, but the club still believe that they can prove the Premier League wrong.

The club hierarchy are planning to continue "protesting their innocence" until the very end, and are not preparing for the event of them potentially being relegated.

Sources say that City are not even "considering" the scenario of restructuring their entire squad, and hope that they can overturn the verdict.

They have every intention of appealing against the charges, and still retain the idea that they have done nothing wrong at this stage.

The prospect of a hefty points deduction remains on the table, unless City can successfully plead their innocence at their appeal hearing.

How long before we know the final verdict on Man City's charges?

The saga surrounding City's 115 charges has rumbled on ever since it was first brought about back in February 2023.

However, it now looks set to come to a head in the coming months, with the Premier League already making their initial verdict clear and informing the rest of their clubs.

Former Everton chief executive and ex-Premier League board member Keith Wyness told Football Insider on Friday that it could take up to three months for the appeal process to be concluded.

The Scottish businessman made it clear that City's hopes of overturning the verdict with an appeal are "tenuous at best," but it will not stop them trying.

Wyness outlined that Enzo Maresca's side are "certain" to get a deduction of at least 50 points, and also expects heavy fines and reputational damage.

He also indicated that the Premier League's own reputation is also under threat, given that City have won eight Premier League titles while potentially breaking the rules.

How will Man City attack appeal?

Former City financial advisor Stefan Borson told Football Insider last weekend that City may argue against specific "points of law" with their appeal.

The football finance expert made it clear that their prospects of appealing against their guilty and liability are extremely unlikely.

Borson generally believes that City are facing a huge uphill battle to prove their innocence in any way, given how severely they appear to have lost on the initial verdict.

The fact that the Premier League found them guilty on all but one of their charges has effectively set the cogs in motion for a staggering punishment