Sports
PSR is not perfect, but the Premier League’s shock therapy has had an effect
An air of desperation hung over a handful of Premier League clubs last summer. Accounting years were drawing to a close across the top division of English football and the pressure was on to book profits before it was too late. Player sales were a must if a profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) breach was to be avoided before June 30.
Newcastle United’s business back then was a microcosm of the chaos. They reluctantly agreed to sell Yankuba Minteh, their then teenage winger, to Brighton & Hove Albion for £30million before sanctioning the exit of Elliot Anderson, the homegrown forward, to Nottingham Forest for £35m.
“We had no other option,” their head coach Eddie Howe told reporters in October about those two departures. “We couldn’t breach PSR, couldn’t face a points deduction, and the only two deals we had on the table at that time were the two deals we did.”
Newcastle, who had spent £320million in the first two and a half years under their Saudi Arabian owners, did not want to sell either Minteh or Anderson. Nor, you suspect, did they want to pay Forest £20m for Odysseas Vlachodimos, a third-choice goalkeeper yet to feature for them in the Premier League under Howe. Anderson’s sale, though, was reliant on Forest, who had breached PSR last season and were close to the line again, getting something in return, so Newcastle had nowhere to turn.
Newcastle did not want to lose Minteh to Brighton (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Others were at it, too, with Aston Villa, Everton, Chelsea and Leicester City all concocting their own mutually beneficial deals to chase compliance. Close to £200million, most of it “pure profit”, was collectively banked by those six clubs in June’s final weeks and Tuesday brought confirmation that the trading had been worth it.
A 14-day assessment period of 2023-24 accounts and PSR calculations had not raised red flags within the Premier League and, unlike last January, when Everton and Forest were both charged, there was no cause for disciplinary action to be triggered.
Leicester’s case remains more complex than others, with the Premier League still believing they are on the hook for at least one charge amid the legal challenges back and forth, but 2024, the year of the asterisk, has left its mark.
The three PSR charges heard last season — two for Everton and one for Forest — resulted in a combined 12 points being deducted, the kind of shock therapy that was difficult to ignore.
It may never be known just how close Newcastle and others came to going beyond their spending threshold last season. Clubs’ 2023-24 accounts, which are due to be filed by the end of March, will give us clues, but the absence of transparency in the PSR process makes it difficult to offer fully informed analysis.
Clubs instead have to be judged by their actions and those madcap days of late June revealed anxieties ultimately born out of the penalties handed to Everton and Forest a few months earlier. That jolted the whole of the Premier League, heightening motivation to find quick profits in the transfer market once the season had concluded.
Howe admitted as much — Newcastle had no wish to sell Minteh or Anderson. Certainly not both. But, as Howe, the front-facing figure in that organisation, accepts, there was “no other option” but to accept £65million in transfer fees for the duo if a PSR breach was to be avoided.
Were Chelsea as close to the edge? That is unclear but their compliance owed as much to the sale of two hotels which are part of the wider site at their Stamford Bridge stadium to other companies owned by BlueCo, Chelsea’s parent company, as it did the late sale of defender Ian Maatsen to Villa for £37.5million. Others did not have the luxury of property deals enhancing the numbers.
Maatsen’s transfer to Villa helped Chelsea comply with PSR, but not as much as the sale of two hotels (Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
PSR continues to have its vocal opponents, such as Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris, who told the Financial Times in June that the regulations were inhibitive and “not good for football”, but last season served the warning that overspending would still carry a sporting cost. Everton and Forest became the bad boys nobody wanted to emulate.
That was obvious with the sudden business done in June, and the wariness has been extended into this season.
Manchester United, traditionally one of English football’s strongest financial forces, have made it clear they have little scope to strengthen new head coach Ruben Amorim’s hand after their heavy losses of recent times. Newcastle also remain bound by financial constraints, with only about £60million spent this season. Villa’s net spend for the season, meanwhile, stood at about £26million going into the current winter transfer window.
Those three clubs could have spent more but learnt last season that punishments would then be unavoidable down the road.
It would not be fitting to congratulate the Premier League on strong governance when 115 charges of financial wrongdoing still hang over four-in-a-row title winners Manchester City and Leicester’s case remains unresolved, but last season served notice that rules had to be adhered to. Points deductions would be in the post to any club not complying.
“The Premier League submits that the only proper sanction is a sporting sanction in the form of a deduction of points,” it argued in Everton’s first PSR hearing, which brought an initial 10-point penalty, later cut to six on appeal. That exact sentence was repeated when Forest faced an independent commission.
PSR has its inconsistencies and imperfections, and might well lead to more scrambled, incoherent transfer business before financial years are out at the end of every June.
But the past 12 months — and no fresh charges this week — have made it clear to clubs that it is a sanction to be taken seriously.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
Sports
Super Bowl champion Brandon Graham finalizing deal to come out of retirement to rejoin Eagles: reports
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After seven months away from the Philadelphia Eagles, Brandon Graham has the itch to play again.
Graham, who spent all 15 years of his NFL career with the Eagles, is tacking another one on as he is finalizing a deal to rejoin his old squad, according to multiple reports. The Eagles are expected to make the move official on Wednesday.
Graham, a two-time Super Bowl champion in Philadelphia, was the longest-tenured player in Eagles history when he retired following the team’s Super Bowl LIX win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Brandon Graham of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on during the game between the Chicago Bulls and the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on April 13, 2025. (Kyle Ross/Imagn Images)
But, with the Eagles facing some depth issues on their defensive line, especially with Za’Darius Smith surprisingly announcing his own retirement midway through the year, Philadelphia is calling on an old friend to help them out.
The Eagles have just 11 sacks through seven games, which is toward the bottom of the league. Graham totaled 76.5 sacks over his career and 487 combined tackles through 206 regular-season games. He tallied 126 tackles for loss and 153 quarterback hits over his record-setting game total.
SUPER BOWL CHAMPION BRANDON GRAHAM CONSIDERING EAGLES RETURN AFTER RETIRING: REPORTS
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham (55) after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
Graham not only brings the experience, but also the natural leadership experience to a franchise where he is adored.
While Smith is retired, the Eagles have seen Nolan Smith placed on the injured reserve, while Jalen Carter missed a good amount of time due to injury. Azeez Ojulari is also dealing with a knee injury.
Graham said that he would answer some questions on his “Brandon Graham Unlocked” podcast, which one would believe includes the thinking behind his decision to return.
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham (55) against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
While it was a Super Bowl-winning final season for Graham at the time, he tore his triceps which rendered him unable to play until the Super Bowl. He had 20 tackles and 3.5 sacks through 11 regular-season games before his injury last season.
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They remain two of the NBA’s biggest stars, and whenever LeBron James and the Lakers face Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors it is must-see TV.
The Lakers and Warriors will open the regular season against each other Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, but James will not play because he’s dealing with a sciatica nerve injury on his right side.
Nevertheless, the rivalry between the Lakers and the Warriors will continue to shine.
“Obviously, going against Steph is very exciting,” Lakers star Luka Doncic said after practice Monday. “It’s going to be tough. I don’t know if it’s a rivalry, but it’s for sure an exciting game.”
When the Lakers and Warriors played on Christmas last season, James and Curry put on a show.
James had 31 points and 10 assists in the Lakers’ victory and Curry had 38 points.
The two had proved again that they can captivate sports fans.
“Lakers against Warriors has been intense,” Lakers forward Rui Hachimura said. “We’ve always played pretty intense games, playoff-like. So this is going to be [the same]. … So even with LeBron out, it’s going to be a great game. Of course, we got to compete and we’re trying to get this dub [win].”
The James-Curry rivalry reached its zenith from 2015-2018, when their teams met in the NBA Finals four consecutive years. James, who was playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers during those years, won just one championship against Curry.
Warriors star Stephen Curry shoots over the Lakers’ Luka Doncic during a game on April 3.
(Michael Owens / Getty Images)
“Steph-LeBron rivalry, whatever you want to call it, matchup has always been awesome — for whatever teams they’ve been on and for the league itself,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I know we had some great games against those guys last year. Being a part of that was really cool. I think when you’re the Lakers and you play on national TV more than any other team, you’re generally going to play against great teams and that’s what tomorrow is. I think it’s just a general excitement about the start of the year. I don’t know if there’s anything extra to that.”
With James out, Doncic said there is “nothing specifically” he has to do extra.
“I just try to win every game,” Doncic said. “Obviously, it’s going to be hard with LeBron out. But when he’s ready to return, he’s going to help us a lot for sure.”
Doncic will have help from Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton, Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and the rest of the Lakers.
Curry will have help from longtime teammate Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler.
But a lot of eyes will be on Curry, someone Doncic immensely respects.
“For sure. As an opponent, obviously [it is] very hard to guard him,” Doncic said. “He’s moving all the time. He can shoot from anywhere, so I feel like it’s hard but always exciting. Going against a player like that is very exciting.”
Etc.
Redick said James, who is expected to be out until November, did “individual work” during practice Monday. Redick said Lakers backup center Jaxson Hayes (right wrist contusion) was “trending” toward playing Tuesday, as was Bronny James (ankle) and Maxi Kleber (quad).
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The dust has nearly settled in the seventh week of the 2025 NFL season and there were some massive games on the docket that saw Super Bowl contenders pick up huge victories.
Two teams that came to mind were the Philadelphia Eagles and the Denver Broncos. The two matched up a couple of weeks ago but entered Week 7 with victory on the mind.
The Eagles saw Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown on the right page as they hooked up for two touchdowns in their win over the Minnesota Vikings. The Broncos needed to score 33 points in the fourth quarter but somehow pulled off a victory against the New York Giants.
Read below for the rest of the scoreboard for this week.
Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) celebrate a touchdown with tight end Cincinnati Bengals tight end Noah Fant (86) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cincinnati Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
- Cincinnati Bengals 33, Pittsburgh Steelers 31
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025
- Los Angeles Rams 35, Jacksonville Jaguars 7
- Chicago Bears 26, New Orleans Saints 14
- Cleveland Browns 31, Miami Dolphins 6
- New England Patriots 31, Tennessee Titans 13
- Kansas City Chiefs 31, Las Vegas Raiders 0
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) tries to avoid a tackle from Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson (55) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
PATRIOTS’ DRAKE MAYE MATCHES TOM BRADY FEAT IN WIN OVER TITANS
- Philadelphia Eagles 28, Minnesota Vikings 22
- Carolina Panthers 13, New York Jets 6
- Denver Broncos 33, New York Giants 32
- Indianapolis Colts 38, Los Angeles Chargers 24
- Dallas Cowboys 44, Washington Commanders 22
- Green Bay Packers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23
- San Francisco 49ers 20, Atlanta Falcons 10
Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz (3) celebrates after kicking the game winning field goal during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Denver, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Monday, Oct. 20, 2025
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Detroit Lions
- Houston Texans @ Seattle Seahawks
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