Premier League club face immediate points deduction as three players put up for sale

Hull City could face a shock points deduction immediately after earning promotion to the Premier League. The Tigers clawed their way into the Championship top six on the final day of the season, but weren’t expected to challenge for promotion to the big time.

Having beaten Millwall in the semi-final, Hull faced an anxious wait to find out who they were playing in the final, because of the Spygate controversy between Middlesbrough and Southampton. In the end, it was Middlesbrough, with Hull snatching a late winner in the Wembley showcase to confirm their return to the Premier League.

But the bubble could be burst pretty quickly as far as Hull are concerned, given they’re at risk of breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), as per the BBC. It’s claimed Hull must sell before they can buy, as they overspent by £6million on their PSR calculations, with a deadline of the end of the month looming.

If found to have breached the rules, the penalty will most likely be a six-point deduction, as that is the typical punishment for clubs overspending between £6m and £8m. By contrast, clubs who overspend by £4m to £5m are deducted five points, four for £2m to £4m and three points if they breach the limit by less than £2m.

Everton and Nottingham Forest are the most high-profile examples of clubs breaking PSR rules. The Merseysiders were deducted eight points during the 2023/24 season, having originally been given a 10-point deduction, while Forest had four points taken away from them in the same season.

The reason for their overspend is because of promotion clauses in the contracts of players who were part of their squad during the 2025/26 campaign. It means before the end of the month, Hull will have to cash in on players in order to avoid a points deduction during their first Premier League season since 2016/17.

Hull City v Middlesbrough - Sky Bet Championship Final

Hull City were promoted to the Premier League (Image: Getty)

They want to avoid selling the core of the team that got them to the Premier League, with the BBC referencing three players who could be let go. The outlet claim David Akintola, Abu Kamara and Kasey Palmer would all be allowed to leave by the play-off winners.

During a Q&A session at Hull’s stadium, owner Acun Ilicali said: "We have overspent and we have to sell some players before 1 July. 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."

Hull will find out their fixtures for the upcoming season on Friday, with the schedule set to be released at 10am.

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