PREM/EFL deal still a long way off

THERE are growing fears the Premier League’s financial deal with the

EFL faces an even longer delay.

The 20 top-flight clubs are under pressure from the Government to agree a package to stop the independent regulator from having to step in.

Prem bosses held two meetings – on February 29 and March 11 – with the clear message they would put forward a new proposal for the clubs to vote on and offer to the EFL.

But the stand-off remains and any deal feels further away than ever. The three main sticking points are...

1. Clubs feel they cannot agree to a deal with the EFL until they know their own budgets with the new-look Profit and Sustainability Rules yet to be agreed.

2. They want PSR done in “real time” with pointsdeduction punishments imposed in the same season not the following year, as has been the case with Everton and Forest.

3. Manchester City have

JURGEN KLOPP’S strop at a Danish TV reporter went viral after Liverpool’s FA Cup exit at Manchester United.

However, it was actually very tame compared to old school rollockings from the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and George Graham, which were rarely in front of cameras and far more severe.

And what they did not have to put up with was the staggering demand any modern manager gets from his post-match media commitments.

Without wishing to excuse bad manners, it might just offer some context to know exactly what follows for any boss launched a legal challenge over PSR, which could bring down the whole system – and some clubs believe it impossible to agree anything until that case is resolved.

The Premier League’s next hope was the new PSR arrangements would be in place before the end-of-season Annual General Meeting, which is usually held in June.

That would enable them to agree a new proposal to take to the EFL, which would stop the independent regulator from imposing a financial deal once the Football Governance Bill is passed.

However, the chances of that happening are falling and, despite the rough agreement of a six-year £998million package for the football pyramid having been discussed, that has hit a deadlock.

There is also frustration at some clubs that the reasons behind the stand-off have not been made public when the reality is they are ready and there is a willingness, but it has been held up in red tape and infighting. after a big game in the Premier League finishes.

One club this season had over 20 post-match interview requests. The manager always takes up the lion’s share, sometimes getting into double figures on TV slots from Sky, TNT Sports, BBC, and others from around the world. The rest are often shared among players but the manager also has to start doing post-match interviews within 20 minutes of the game.

With all that in mind, it is understandable why managers like Klopp (above) can get a little snappy – especially after defeats.

THE Premier League is facing a major fixture headache with FOUR postponed games yet to be rescheduled.

Manchester City’s trip to Tottenham has still not got a date and nor have Manchester United vs Newcastle, Chelsea vs Tottenham, and Brighton vs Chelsea.

The backlog is unusual but not unheard of, yet there is a very real fear it will get far worse next season with extra European games – including eight matches rather than six in the Champions League group stages.