Everton could be sued over £373m losses by Premier League rivals

Several Premier League clubs are conducting a forensic analysis of Everton’s accounts amid suspicion they have breached the top flight’s spending rules for the last two years.

Sportsmail disclosed last month that Everton have reached an agreement with the Premier League in which they consult over signings and new contracts, to avoid being found in breach of the regulations.

That revelation angered many of their rivals.

Everton delayed publication of their 2020-21 accounts last week, adding to the ill-feeling, with many clubs baffled as to how they can have stayed within the spending limits after announcing losses of £120million. Their total losses over the last three years are a staggering £373m.

Under Premier League rules, clubs are only permitted to lose £105m over a three-year period, although investment in stadiums and infrastructure, women’s football and community projects are exempt from the calculations, and additional allowances have been made for the impact of Covid-19.

The unhappy clubs are considering their options, pending the outcome of their analysis, and have not ruled out suing Everton in a case that would be similar to the legal action taken against Derby in the Championship.

Middlesbrough and Wycombe began action against Derby over their accounting practices during the 2019-20 season, although Middlesbrough’s case has now been dropped.

Everton have leant heavily on the pandemic in explaining the losses in their accounts, stating that Covid has cost them £170m over the last two years with a £103m loss in 2020-21 alone.

Those claims have been met with scepticism from some rivals. Sources at several clubs have pointed out that Everton’s write-offs due to Covid are way above most of those in the Premier