Journalist David Ornstein has revealed what Everton's 10-point deduction from the Premier League could mean for Chelsea and Manchester City.
The Toffees were punished by for breaches of the league's Profit and Sustainability Rules, and drop to 19th in the table as a result.
Sean Dyche's team now have just four points, although could climb out of the relegation zone should they beat Manchester United at Goodison Park next weekend.
For their part, Everton have described the punishment as 'a wholly disproportionate and unjust sporting sanction' and confirmed their intention to appeal in a club statement.
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The Toffees also stated that they 'will also monitor with great interest the decisions made in any other cases concerning the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules'.
That line appears to point to cases involving Chelsea and Manchester City, who are both under investigation by the Premier League.
City have been charged with 115 alleged breaches of Premier League rules, largely relating to the club's finances.
While Chelsea, as reported by The Times, are being investigated for alleged secret transfer-related payments made by the club under the ownership of Roman Abramovich.
A lawyer claimed on Friday that both clubs could even be relegated from the Premier League if found guilty of any offence, in light of Everton's punishment.
But Ornstein, speaking on the FIVE podcast, has clarified what could happen to City and Chelsea in comparison to Everton's case.
He explained: "The first thing to point out is that these cases are not the same. Manchester City's charges and Chelsea's allegations are both different from Everton's one charge.
"You could say that Everton's was quite straightforward, in the sense that they are deemed to have breached the allowed limits for financial losses.
"They also were working with the Premier League, and almost held their hands up and admitted there was a breach, although there's a discrepancy over how much that breach was.
"We don't have it explained to us what's happening [in the City case]. Many of those charges are repeats, season after season, so they're not necessarily 115 charges. There's a smaller number.
"City contest and vigorously deny those charges themselves, so there is no guarantee that the two cases will be treated in the same way.
"In the case of City and especially Chelsea, compared to Everton, it's like comparing apples and pears.
"It was interesting in Everton's statement that they are going to be watching cases against other clubs, and I think that's going to be a huge narrative.
"There's going to be growing pressure on the Premier League and the authorities to deal with these cases for the integrity of the competition for the future, for fairness, and treating everybody on a level playing field."
Ornstein also suggested that 2024 could be a 'defining year' in the City case, although added that there is no official indication of when the case will be heard.
Topics: Everton, Premier League, Manchester City, Chelsea
Ryan Smart