No one saw this coming.
With just five games into the new season and an ongoing international break, Manchester City have been found guilty of more than 100 charges of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The alleged £900m ‘rigged’ contracts involved in the scandal have become one of the league’s biggest scandals. Until recently, many people had completely forgotten the case was going on as City were expected to outbid the stakes, but it all came crashing down for the Sky Blues and the whispers of a relegation ban began to grow louder.
After spending £440m in the summer and appointing new boss Enzo Maresca, City were expected to fight back this season and start another title race against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. By the way, City are technically the leaders after a good start to the season, but it could all come crashing down in the coming weeks. These are the latest City relegation odds and what the rest of the league can expect to happen.
Man City 9/4 to be relegated before the potentially record-breaking points cut-off
✔ Coventry 1/2
✔ Case 8/13
✔ Ipswich 6/5
✔ Crystal Palace 7/4
✔ Manchester City 9/4
Now that the Premier League has officially confirmed Manchester City’s guilty verdict, the Sky Blues have unexpectedly been added to the league’s list of relegation favourites.
By the way, City are sitting at 9/4, probably around 30%. As such, City are not the clear favorites to go down and many bookies are allowing the club to be released if they can get away with a light punishment. However, these are the strongest relegation odds linked to City since the allegations were first made in 2023, and owner Sheikh Mansour will no doubt be nervous.
Potential punishments for City include a heavy fine, a transfer ban, severe points deductions and even a complete ban from playing in the Premier League again. Some of the OddsPlays betting software sites can help bettors track the changing odds and determine potential value as the situation develops, as City’s relegation odds are expected to change even after the international break ends.
If City were relegated, almost one player would be expected to leave. However, if it is only a points deduction, it will give the club time to potentially avoid relegation and rebuild in the summer. The results here are so varied that it’s hard to call, although it’s safe to say City will take some sort of punishment this time around.
The city is expected to appeal the ruling
Surprisingly, the Man City hierarchy have yet to appeal the guilty verdict and only have until Friday 2 October to do so.
The main expectation is that they will indeed appeal the charges, although some expect them to drop it and instead go to the High Court, where the club believes they have a better chance.
This could potentially be a process of upwards of 18 months and delays City’s potential relegation and punishment, so many punters are reluctant to take their chances just yet.
Arsenal Look Back at the Headlines
It’s all music to the ears of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, who won the club’s first league title since the Invincibles last season. Outside of Man City, there are no other major title contenders in the league, so a points cut would hand the title to the Gunners on a plate. Arteta, himself an assistant manager at City for several years, has yet to publicly respond to City’s guilty verdict.
What comes next for the city
City “systematically” broke the rules and inflated their revenue by more than $1 billion through “fraudulent” deals, according to the Premier League’s chief executive.
It has left the club in such disarray that even the best lawyers could fight for them this time, and the penalties could be the biggest ever handed down to a Premier League club.
Interestingly, the Premier League, regarded as the best in all of European football, will want to protect its interests and image, so there is also speculation that potential penalties will be softened to avoid the last decade and a half of Premier League football being called into question.
All of this will continue to unfold in the coming months and punters should keep an eye on City’s relegation odds as they could suddenly drop further if a points cut is confirmed to be on the table.