The Toffees are 17th, above the relegation places only on goal difference with 12 games remaining, but would be 12th without the deduction.

Dyche said that may have had a psychological effect on his players.

"They take those 10 points off immediately, so you keep looking at that table and you keep getting asked about being in the bottom three, four, five. They don't leave you up there, so how do we know how that affects the psychology?" Dyche said.

"It changes the perception, it changes the feel, it changes the fan base, it changes the feel of performances. That's just a fact. We all measure it differently when the team are there, top, middle or bottom.

"Does that affect the team whilst the process is going? At first everyone says obviously not because you win four, but you could argue there is a delayed effect."

Everton received an immediate 10-point deduction in November after being found to have breached the Premier League's financial rules in the three-year period to 2021-22.

While the club admitted the initial breach, Everton said they were "shocked and disappointed" at the severity of the punishment - the biggest in Premier League history.

The points deduction initially dropped Everton, who face Brighton on Saturday (15:00 GMT), from 14th in the Premier League table to 19th.

"The guidelines that [the media] suggest, and we suggest, have been around the end of the month," said Dyche, on when he expects a verdict.

"It's in the hands of the powers that be and it's an ongoing process as far as I know.

"We don't know if that 10 points [deduction] is fact still. It would be helpful [to know] sooner rather than later. I don't know the legal process, the timescales and why it takes so long, so we just have to wait and see."

The appeal with the Premier League's judicial panel will be heard and concluded before the end of the season.

The Toffees, along with Nottingham Forest, have since been referred to an independent commission for alleged breaches of profit and sustainability rules in their accounts for the three seasons up until 2022-23.

But Everton's second case cannot be heard until their appeal against the 10-point deduction by the previous commission has been determined.

Under Premier League regulations, clubs can lose a maximum of £105m over a three-season period, or £35m per campaign, before facing sanctions.

"The players are working very hard, very diligently and I am very pleased with what they are doing on a daily basis and in the games," Dyche said.

"I don't think it is [in their minds] in a literal way on a daily basis, but I am sure it is in the back of their minds. They are still wondering 'when are you going to tell us where we are at and give us more of a factual view of it?'

"We are of the same mindset, it is what it is. We look at where it is now and see what comes. Unfortunately, that process is taking some time."