Premier League clubs will not ask their players to take wage reductions, over fears that they could end up leaving on free transfers, due to legal claims.
This is according to the Daily Mail, who report that teams are holding back on asking players to take pay-cuts, despite the majority their of staff doing so.
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Such news stems following the coronavirus outbreak, with English football being put on pause for the foreseeable future. Without ticket revenue and a significant drop in merchandise sales, clubs’ finances have been hit hard by the recent restrictions put onto society.
This had led onto various clubs introducing wage reductions for non-playing staff, with the above report citing both Tottenham and Newcastle United in implanting such policies. Many have either taken a 20% cut or been put onto the government’s furlough scheme, but teams are very reluctant to ask the same of their players.
Such hesitancy stems from potential legal issues, that could see players trigger a clause in their contracts, allowing them to leave on a free transfer. In an tempt to prevent such chaos, PL sides are instead opting towards a ‘co-ordinated approach’ in players taking pay-cuts.
This refers towards clubs coming together and reaching an agreement with the division, with the above report stating that teams are expected to meet officials to reach a ‘collective wage deferral agreement’.
These certainly are strange times and there is plenty of action taking place behind closed doors, that will have a major impact on the footballing world. Alongside how the current season should be played out to free agents’ availability in summer, there are many different issues that authorities need to make decisions on.
For now though, it would appear that the PL stars will continue to be paid in full.