Hull could face points deduction in Premier League

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Hull City were promoted to the Premier League for the fourth time in their history after beating Middlesbrough at Wembley By Dale Johnson Football issues correspondent Published 3 hours ago When Hull City won promotion back to the Premier League by beating Middlesbrough in the play-off final it came with guaranteed riches of about £200m. But the Tigers must now sell players before the end of the month to avoid a potential points deduction in the Premier League. Hull have an overspend of about £6m on their profit and sustainability (PSR) calculation. Under English Football League rules, that could lead to a six-point penalty. Initially it was believed the club's overspend had been caused by promotion bonuses which were triggered by the 1-0 victory over Boro in the Championship showdown at Wembley. But it has since come to light that these payments are, in effect, ghosted in the accounts for the calculation in the season which the promotion happens. Hull would have faced PSR challenges regardless of winning the play-off final. When the Premier League fixtures are published on Friday morning (10:00 BST) , the East Yorkshire club will have more than just their opening matches to think about. 'We have overspent and we have to sell some players' Football finance expert Kieran Maguire told BBC Sport Hull's losses had been "relatively modest" in recent seasons. But that was only possible with their transfer business, with £33m brought in from the sales of winger Jaden Philogene and defender Jacob Greaves. "Their numbers were good partly due to the fact that they had some very successful player sales and they contribute towards covering losses," said Maguire. "The club lost just under £19m in 2023-24, and around £10m in 2024-25 which, before you count things like infrastructure, academy and community, suggests an overspend in 2025-26 somewhere in the region of £17m." Hull owner Acun Ilicali has been surprisingly candid that work must be done in the next couple of weeks. "We have overspent and we have to sell some players before 1 July," Ilicali told a Q&A at the MKM Stadium at the start of the month. "I'm not afraid. We have managed harder things. For us, this is more manageable. "Now we are a Premier League team, the values [of players] has raised up which is a good advantage." Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Acun Ilicali became owner of Hull City in 2022 Except Ilicali appears to have played his hand a little early, surrendering some of his bargaining power by openly admitting a clock is ticking. Ilicali got Hull promoted against the odds, with the club restricted to loans and free agents in 2025-26 as punishment for making late transfer payments to other clubs. Some of their key players - including Joe Gelhardt, Amir Hadziahmetovic, John Lundstram and Lewis Koumas - were only on loan. The club would not want to lose the players that they do own who earned them promotion. That includes Regan Slat