Noel Whelan has been left stunned by the details of Everton's financial accounts, which were published this week in the build-up to their crucial clash with West Ham.

The Lowdown: More losses

The Goodison Park faithful's latest financial accounts show a total loss of £120.9m for the 2020/21 season.

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Unfortunately, this is the third year in a row that they have published losses of over £110m, suggesting that there is a real problem at the top of the club - although that is perhaps something fans knew already.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former top flight striker Whelan, who has since worked as a pundit for BBC Radio Leeds, is stunned by the losses, even going as far as to call them 'staggering':

“It’s staggering. It’s been an awful season financially and on the field, hasn’t it?

“It’s just going from bad to worse for Everton at the minute. There’s no good news at all, with their financials and their fragility in the Premier League right now.

“This is not what the fans want to hear about a club that was supposedly building, going to a new stadium and trying to get into European football again with a team they were trying to assemble.

“When you talk about standing on a cliff edge and an avalanche, Everton comes to mind.”

The Verdict: Possible distraction

The players simply cannot let news like this from upstairs distract them from what they need to do on the pitch, starting with trying to get a result in east London in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Merseysiders are currently in a perilous position down at the foot of the table, and really need to concentrate on staying up, with perhaps the only saving grave being that the teams below them look even worse.

Relegation for the Toffees would put them in an even worse position financially, given the riches that the top flight has to offer compared to the Championship, and so as long as they can stay up, then can then assess the financial situation properly at the end of the campaign.

In other news, find out what huge Blues injury boost has now emerged here!