‘Can’t do this’… Shay Given makes claim about Leeds after what happened to Everton yesterday

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Everton have been found guilty of breaching Profit and Sustainability rules for a second time in the space of a few months – and Shay Given has made a claim about Leeds United when discussing it.

Only in November, were Everton found guilty of breaching the rules and handed a 10-point deduction. Clubs are only permitted to lose a figure of £105m over three seasons, if all three are in the top tier.

Nottingham Forest have also been found guilty of breaching the rules last season, given they were only allowed to make a loss of £61m – having spent two of the previous three seasons in the Championship.

While the rules do prevent big spending and clubs just using enormous wealth to gain an advantage – and perhaps forcing clubs to focus on youth, it does also mean that the elite clubs cannot be caught.

Clubs cannot spend the cash required to catch the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool and Given, a former Man City player, makes that point on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club, earlier this week.

“Look at Man City’s bench, De Bruyne came on. Oscar Bobb, Jack Grealish didn’t even get on. I joined Man City when there was no such thing as FFP. They went out and spent what they wanted to.

“What I’m saying is, they could fast forward things. Now everything that Newcastle does is under the microscope. You can’t do this, you can’t do that,” Newcastle icon Given said, on Monday Night Club.

“It feels like is there a monopoly at the very top, these clubs do not want a Newcastle, even an Everton or say Leeds get promoted this season, to fast forward to the top of the League. It feels that way.”

Shay Given makes Leeds claim as Everton breach rules again

It is a mess of a situation. Forest’s is a little bit more understandable, given they are only permitted to make a loss of £61m over the last three years. The sale of Brennan Johnson was too late to be counted.

For Everton, to get it wrong for a second successive year is just poor stewardship. Senior figures of Leeds, Burnley and Leicester have already held a meeting to discuss whether they will sue The Toffees.

Now, a second successive charge and perhaps another points deduction could come into play – further strengthening our case. But, it must be said that while these laws are in place – no-one can catch City.