Sean Dyche’s side need to end their winless league run amid takeover concerns and with a verdict due on their 10-point deduction
There are weeks that can define a club’s season and then there are weeks that can define a club’s future. It is not hyperbole to suggest the latter awaits Everton. Monday brings a must-win Premier League home game against fellow strugglers Crystal Palace, the only team Everton have beaten in their past 11 matches.
The release of victory in that FA Cup third-round replay proved fleeting as a fourth-round exit to Luton followed 10 days later. No date is fixed in the diary but Everton also anticipate a verdict this week on their appeal against a 10-point deduction for a single breach of Premier League profit and sustainability rules. The ramifications will be considerable whenever it arrives.