May marked the end of Leeds’ three-year Premier League tenure, after Orta’s Elland Road departure was made official earlier in the same month.

Orta has accepted the same position at Sevilla in Spain, but he is curious as to what would have happened if Everton had been penalized by the Premier League for purported Financial Fair Play violations.

“One thing I don’t like in England is the lack of consideration of the [FFP] rules,” Orta told the Daily Mail [6 November]. “LaLiga is trying to create sustainable clubs with breakeven budgets.

“Perhaps my future would have been different – for better or worse – if Everton’s points deduction was for last season.”

Aggrieved

At Elland Road, Orta had a mixed tenure. The clear high point of his tenure was the team’s 2020 promotion, while the low point was their relegation earlier this year, which was officially confirmed after he had left.

Setting aside his personal grievances, the 44-year-old has good reason to be upset that Everton did not get a point deduction from the previous campaign.

If the Toffees are found guilty of violating FFP laws in their ongoing case, they could face a 12-point punishment that would start this season [The Telegraph, October 25].

The retrospective measure does not, however, benefit Leeds in any way if it turns out that they violated the regulations before the current campaign.

Many will point out that if the deduction had been in place for the previous season, Leicester City would have kept up at Everton’s expense; however, that does not tell the whole story, as Leeds would have been playing for different outcomes if the Toffees had been below them.

Nothing will change right now, but fortunately Leeds appear well-positioned to return to the Premier League quickly based on their performance in the first few months of the season.