Sean Dyche confident Everton will not be distracted by rule-breaking allegations

Everton manager Sean Dyche is confident he will not be distracted by allegations of financial rule-breaking at the club.

The Premier League has referred the Toffees to an independent commission over an alleged breach of its Financial Fair Play regulations.

Everton have denied wrongdoing and say they will “robustly defend” their position but the development does have the potential to disrupt the team as they battle for Premier League survival.

It has been suggested the club could face a points deduction if found guilty but Dyche expects his squad to put the off-field issues to one side.

“There is no situation at the moment,” said Dyche, who having been appointed in January was not in post when the breach allegedly occurred during the 2021-22 season.

“The club’s statement covers everything. I’m happy to go along with that. I’m more focused on what’s going on on the pitch, quite obviously.

“The club have assured me the statement is correct and the rest of it will come down to the powers that be to do what they have to do.

“At the minute we are really focusing on what is going on now. Of course there are background views on the future but I’m working with the squad now, working to get more points and to make sure we get what we all want, which is to be in the Premier League.”

Asked if the matter could affect summer recruitment plans, Dyche added: “Not that I know of.”

Everton are 15th in the table, just two points above the bottom three in a tight relegation battle.

They face a tough task in their next outing as they host fourth-placed Tottenham on Monday.

Striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is unlikely to feature having not yet returned to full training following his latest injury setback.

Calvert-Lewin has not featured since February due to a thigh problem and has made just 12 appearances in a troubled campaign.

Dyche said: “He hasn’t trained with the group but he’s back on the grass again and has been so he’s making progress which is good.

“He did have that tiny niggle on the injury, a slightly different area, but he’s making very good progress. So we’re happy with that at the moment but there is no timescale.”

Everton suffered no fresh injuries during the international break.

“There’s nothing too major come back on the injury front either, so that’s helpful,” Dyche said.

Published: 30/03/2023 by Radio NewsHub