Premier League club forced to sell two players to avoid shock points deduction
Hull City avoided a potential Premier League points deduction by completing two player sales before the Profit and Sustainability Regulations deadline. The newly promoted club needed to eliminate an estimated 6 million overspend from their Championship accounts, with the departures of Ivor Pandur and Aidon Shehu providing the financial relief required.
Championship clubs are limited to losses of 39 million across a three-year cycle under EFL PSR rules. Despite the financial rewards of promotion, Hull were forced to generate transfer income before the deadline, with a failure to comply potentially resulting in a deduction of up to six Premier League points.
Hull's biggest departure saw goalkeeper Pandur complete a 6 million move to Rangers. The 26-year-old played a central role in the club's promotion campaign, making 45 appearances and keeping 11 clean sheets. Signed from Fortuna Sittard for 1.5 million in January 2024, his transfer generated a significant profit for PSR purposes.
Hull then confirmed the sale of 19-year-old midfielder Shehu to Panathinaikos for a reported 2.5 million. Having joined from Southend United for only a minimal compensation fee and without making a first-team appearance, his transfer counted as almost entirely pure profit. The move became crucial after a proposed 5 million sale of Kyle Joseph to Middlesbrough fell through.
The two departures enabled Hull to clear the deficit before the accounting deadline, removing the financial restrictions that had prevented the club from making new signings this summer. The club also benefits from the transition away from PSR towards the new squad cost ratio system, which will assess clubs annually based on the proportion of revenue spent on the squad.
With the new accounting period now underway, Hull are expected to accelerate their recruitment plans as they prepare for life back in the Premier League. Former player Peter Swan acknowledged that the squad consists primarily of Championship players who may move to a standard they previously competed at, but stressed the recruitment team must bring in players capable of competing at Premier League level, as they accomplished during their promotion campaign.