‘There needs to be a sanction’ - Thomas Frank calls for swift Everton & Nottingham Forest punishment from Premier League as Brentford boss admits he ‘doesn’t care’ how many points are deducted

Everton saw their ten-point deduction reduced to six on appeal, and with Forest facing a similar hearing later this month, Frank stressed the importance of fair and consistent enforcement of regulations. The manager's remarks come amid concerns about the potential impact of points deductions on the Premier League relegation battle, with Brentford currently positioned 16th and fighting to stay afloat in the English top-flight. Any further sanctions against Everton and Forest could significantly alter the league table, affecting teams like Brentford that are closely involved in the relegation fight.

“For me, it’s very simple: if you break the rules, there needs to be sanction — end of discussion”, Frank told reporters on Friday.

“If it’s two points, six points, ten points, 20 points, I don’t care — that’s up to them. I’m here to try to coach a football team and try to win a few more football matches.

“The only thing I would say is Nottingham [Forest] and Everton will, with what you read, get a points deduction in the near future. They will appeal it, and then the result of that appeal we need to know before the end of the season, for everyone involved, especially for Nottingham and Everton.”

Brentford have lost their last three matches in the Premier League and face an uphill battle against Chelsea to turn around their fortunes. However, Frank will be forced to field a makeshift backline as his first-choice defenders are all injured including Ben Mee who fractured his ankle during the 4-2 defeat at West Ham last Monday.

"More negative [news],” Frank said while updating on the injury issues. “It’s easier to continue down that route. Unfortunately, Ben Mee is injured and is out for the rest of the season, so that is just our entire back four from last season that is out. We’ve had far too many injuries, we’ve been very unlucky. We’ve actually had more than ten surgeries this season. It’s usually two or three you have.”

Brentford have a lengthy list of injured players which includes Joshua Dasilva, Rico Henry, Aaron Hickey, Kevin Schade, Ethan Pinnock, Bryan Mbeumo and Ben Mee. It can turn out to be a season-defining March for them as they are set to play Premier League powerhouses like Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United this month. All eyes will be on Frank as to how he navigates through the fixtures with a depleted squad at his disposal.