Chairman acts to cut costs.... | Page 8 | Vital Football

Chairman acts to cut costs....

The scouse have reversed their decision on the furlough scheme.

Wolves, Man City, Man United have all refused to use it.

Levy under massive pressure to reverse it.
 
As i said elsewhere he should be donating money his and players wages to help nurses carers and doctors get food in his area as a minimum.......give something back to the community
 
The scouse have reversed their decision on the furlough scheme.

Wolves, Man City, Man United have all refused to use it.

Levy under massive pressure to reverse it.

So right now I'd love to be Lloris / Kane etc having that intricate conversation with Levy. In fact, I'd happily offer to write and publish the minutes :-)
 
Have you ever witnessed Levy buckling to this type of pressure before? I haven't.

This is an interesting one for Levy. In any negotiation he always has the ability to walk away and move onto the next target if he's not getting his way. He can also take 4-6 weeks to get the outcome he desires. With this one it could be argued that he isn't negotiating from a power of strength and time is not on his side. Players are transient and only a small minority homegrown bleed Spurs like we do. Do they even have any motive to help him or the club out?

Levy has to build his case for why the money has to come back into THFC, and not flow out to the community / NHS etc. That's a tough sell. I'm hoping he has one carrot in the negotiation and that is offering the 20% back to the 550 workers. That would be near the top of my list if I were club captain, Lloris.
 
FA offer help in Premier League wages row as Greg Clarke warns clubs and leagues could be lost



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The FA would be willing to mediate in the Premier League wages row, after chairman Greg Clarke warned that clubs and leagues could be lost if the game does not come together.
It is understood the FA are prepared to step in to help ease the stalemate between players – represented by the PFA – and clubs, although they are yet to be asked.
FA chairman Clarke, who previously ran Leicester, would be well-placed to mediate talks and on Tuesday he issued a dire warning about the potential consequences if the game remains at war.
"Football faces economic challenges beyond the wildest imagination of those who run it," Clarke told the FA Council. "We face the danger of losing clubs and leagues.
"In the face of this unprecedented adversity, all the stakeholders within the game from players, fans, clubs, owners and administrators need to step up and share the pain to keep the game alive."
Premier League clubs face losses over over £1billion if the season does not resume and Clarke continued: "We must have a plan to ensure that English football is not decimated should this season be lost. We would be fools not to develop a contingency plan.
"Time is pressing as football burns through its cash reserves with no sign yet of a resumption of the game. Pointing fingers serves no purpose.
"It is time for the stakeholders to agree common cause to save our game. Contribute. Football is a team game and now is the time for teamwork."
 
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It's about time The FA bashed everyone's heads together with the empowerment of the government. At least they represent every level of football rather just the bunch of mafia at The Premier League. I'm happy with the real governing body in football flexing some muscles and getting the power back to where it should have always remained in this millennium.
 
Football on the brink: Arsenal's cash reserves should soften blow, but worst-case scenario may see best players leave cheaply

Arsenal are among the top 20 wealthiest football clubs, but the coronavirus crisis presents a headache for even clubs of their size

By Sam Dean 10 April 2020 • 1:00pm
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Arsenal under Stan Kroekne only spend what they generate and a lack of Champions League football is hitting them hard Credit: Getty Images

In the final part of Telegraph Sport’s series profiling clubs as they respond to the coronavirus crisis, Sam Dean looks at the challenges facing Arsenal, who have plenty of problems despite being one of the world’s wealthiest sides. The series has already featured Brentford, Rochdale, Bradford City and Lewes FC Women.
What is their financial situation?
To understand Arsenal’s finances, one must look at the club in two ways. Firstly, and obviously, it should be made clear that they are extremely wealthy — according to the Deloitte Football Money League, they are the 11th-highest revenue generating club in world football.
The counterpoint to this is that Arsenal’s business model, under the ownership of Stan Kroenke, is one of self-sustainability: they only invest what they generate. Here is where the problems start, because three seasons outside of the Champions League have severely affected what Arsenal generate, and their bloated wage bill is a major drain on finances.
Even before the coronavirus crisis, it was shaping up to be another financially challenging summer for Arsenal, who were knocked out of the Europa League by Olympiakos and are currently ninth in the Premier League.
In February, the club’s latest accounts showed a £27.1 million loss, despite an increase in football revenue. This is in large part due to the wage bill of around £230m. Last summer, director Josh Kroenke described it as “a Champions League wage bill on a Europa League budget”.

In short, Arsenal need to return to the Champions League. The longer they are outside of Europe’s premier competition, the more they will need to cut costs. This, in turn, makes it harder to qualify for the Champions League.
Of the top 20 clubs in Deloitte’s Football Money League, Arsenal are the most reliant on matchday income, which made up 25 per cent of their revenue last season. Going behind closed doors, as is expected when football finally returns, will not help their cause.
What are they doing to mitigate the financial impact of coronavirus?
Arsenal have promised to pay all their staff as normal until the end of April. They are currently in the process of deciding what comes next, and there are talks with the players over potential deferrals or cuts.
Meanwhile, the Arsenal Foundation has pledged £100,000 to local organisations and provided an extra £50,000 to Islington Giving, to go towards their crisis fund.
What is their best-case scenario?
Arsenal have considerable cash reserves, which are there to help with the club’s running costs. This will help to soften the financial blow, and it is a luxury that few other clubs can boast.
Financial analysis by the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust estimates that approximately £100m of cash reserves were available when the season was postponed, and that Arsenal’s monthly spend is around £28m. This means that the club is able to cover its costs until the summer, and into early autumn. Clearly, this is not to say they will not attempt to make savings before then.
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Youngsters including Eddie Nketiah are likely to benefit Credit: Getty Images
In terms of on-pitch performance, it could be argued that Arsenal might benefit from their season of introducing young players to the first team, such as Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Joe Willock and Eddie Nketiah.
The transfer market is widely expected to contract in value this summer, and activity between clubs is set to be reduced significantly. With less movement, clubs will be more reliant on making the most of their current squads. For some teams who were planning overhauls this summer, that could be a major problem. For Arsenal, and indeed Chelsea, the experience given to young players this season could prove extremely valuable.
What is their worst-case scenario?
Given their financial situation before the crisis struck, an elongated suspension (and reduction in broadcast income) could essentially force Arsenal to attempt to cash-in on their key players as soon as possible. Even in that scenario, it is hard to see them receiving significant funds for these stars due to the aforementioned changes in the market. Their best players leaving on the cheap is not part of the business strategy, but it may well become an unavoidable reality.
There is also a very real prospect of Arsenal falling even further behind their ‘big six’ rivals as a result of their financial model. If they make less money, that means they can spend less money. Such restrictions do not apply so bluntly to Manchester City and Chelsea, while Manchester United have the commercial power to “exploit” the market, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said this week.
Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal head coach, struck a very different tone to Solskjaer when he spoke about the market this week. The Spaniard warned that the club may not be able to conduct any business at all.
“I am planning two or three different scenarios that we can face,” Arteta told Sky Sports. “Depending on one of those three, we will be able to do more, less or nothing. We have to react daily. We don’t know what the financial situation is going to be, we don’t know the rules, the timing, the window. There are so many things we cannot control at the moment.”
 
European football could suffer its own 'sub-prime mortgage crisis'

Exclusive: Leagues across Europe in crisis as they face £4.5bn in outstanding transfer fees

By James Ducker, Northern Football Correspondent 9 April 2020 • 5:51pm
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European football could be facing its own “sub prime mortgage crisis” amid fears about the potential domino effect if clubs across the continent struggle to repay almost £4.5 billion in outstanding transfer fees.
The top five leagues in Europe are responsible for 87 per cent of the staggering €5.1bn (£4.47bn) still owed in transfer payments, according to a Uefa audit.
Premier League clubs owe £1.46bn - around a third of the overall sum - with Italy second with transfer payables totalling £1.16bn, the equivalent of 57 per cent of Serie A club revenues.
La Liga in Spain have around £555m in outstanding fees, Ligue 1 clubs in France owe £437m and Germany’s Bundesliga sides about £248m.
The eye-watering sums were detailed in Uefa’s latest club licensing benchmarking report that was published in January and which scrutinised club accounts for the 2017/18 season across the European governing body’s 55 member associations.
But the figures have taken on much starker significance now given the crippling financial effect the coronavirus pandemic could have on football.
Uefa warned in the report of the “systemic risk” higher transfer balances hold given the possible domino effect of clubs being unable to fund payments, the threat of which has increased exponentially as teams struggle to meet financial obligations due to the global health crisis
“Transfer activity links more than one club, so any delay or non-payment can have a knock-on effect on the carefully planned cash flow of many clubs along a chain of balance transfers,” the report read.
One top level football executive told Telegraph Sport that the repercussions of transfer instalments not being met on a mass scale could prove to be “football’s equivalent of the sub prime mortgages crisis” that was a key factor in the global financial crash more than a decade ago. “If that line of dominoes starts to fall it doesn’t bear thinking about,” the source said.

Sefton Perry, head of Uefa’s intelligence centre analytics, warned in the report that the “interconnectedness of club football” brought with it a number of risks “particularly as regards the transfer system”.
The risk to some leagues is troubling. Uefa established that the total money still to be paid and received by leagues across Europe totalled €9 billion (£7.89bn) - the equivalent to 43 per cent of club revenues.
Italy and Portugal have a particularly high risk of exposure. Gross transfer receivables and payables in Portugal for 2017/18 accounted for 119 per cent of revenues. In Italy, they were the equivalent of 98 per cent of turnover. In England, the figure stood at 45 per cent of revenues.
Uefa also noted a move towards a higher proportion of transfer fees being paid over a longer period of time. “The proportion of transfer debts payable in more than one year increased from 32 per cent to 38 per cent in 2018,” the report said.
“In the big five leagues, this ratio ranges from 26 per cent in Germany to 48 per cent in Spain where longer payment terms are more common.”
 
Exclusive: Football League clubs tell PFA they will not be able to pay April wages if cuts are not agreed

One EFL chairman told Telegraph Sport that the next week is crucial

By Matt Law, Football News Correspondent ; James Ducker, Northern Football Correspondent and Jason Burt, Chief Football Correspondent 10 April 2020 • 5:50pm
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The situation between the PFA and the EFL is reaching a head Credit: PA

Football League clubs will tell Professional Footballers Association chief executive Gordon Taylor they will not be able to pay players their April wages if an agreement cannot be reached on cuts and deferrals over the next week, while hundreds of players face the threat of being left without clubs once the coronavirus crisis ends.
Following weeks of talks between EFL clubs and the PFA over deferrals and cuts, the situation is reaching a head with many involved believing the next week will prove critical particularly to League One and League Two clubs.
Telegraph Sport understands there is now the threat of mass furloughing of players across the two divisions which could even take place on the same day to make the point that the clubs cannot continue without agreements being reached.
As yet there has not yet been a breakthrough in negotiations, despite the fact that clubs will have to decide whether or not they can pay their players for April by the end of next week.
It is understood that around half of the League One and League Two clubs have already calculated that if an agreement is not reached in the next few days that they will not be able to pay their players’ wages for April.
Managers have also filled in forms to show what the lost revenues will be at their clubs over the next three months and what their owners and staff are doing in the hope that it will help with a player agreement.
The widely suggested 30 per cent deferral or cut would not be enough for League One and League Two clubs, who have lobbied with the PFA over deferrals and cuts of up to 50 per cent.
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EFL chairman Rick Parry (left) Credit: Action Images
Worryingly, League One clubs fear they could be facing a £40million black hole in their finances by September even if players agreed to a 30 per cent wage cut.
One EFL club chairman told Telegraph Sport: “The next week is absolutely crucial. There has to be an agreement with the PFA, otherwise many clubs will not be able to pay the April wages.
“After next week, clubs would normally be finalising their April bill and pressing the button on payments. But a large number simply will not be able to unless there is an agreement on deferrals or cuts.”
It is not just the clubs that are fearful over the future either, as up to 1,000 EFL players whose contracts are due to expire in the summer face the threat of unemployment or having to take huge wage cuts. The majority of those are in League Two, where money will be in the shortest supply once the coronavirus crisis has ended.
With playing budgets for next season expected to be slashed and EFL clubs needing to find ways of saving money, it is feared many contracts will not be renewed. It is feared that many players will be left without clubs and those who do could face a dramatic reduction in salary.
One leading agent with League One and League Two players who will be out of contract said: “I’m worried about what will happen. Players are starting to ask me and it is impossible to give them any answers. There could be a lot of players left without clubs.”
Executives from the League One clubs held a three-hour conference call with the EFL on Thursday to discuss the issue of player wages.
There was an agreement to give Rick Parry, the EFL chairman, and his team more time to try to strike a collective agreement with the PFA before they reconvene on the matter next week. Wednesday would appear to be a deadline for a deal to be struck.
If the EFL cannot find a solution with the PFA, clubs will try to negotiate individually with their players, in much the same way as their Premier League counterparts are now doing.

The latest analysis has suggested EFL clubs collectively stand to lose around £42million in match-day income if games are played behind closed doors at a time when they still owe a total of £283million in wages between now and the end of the season. Championship, League One and League Two clubs have already shared a £50million advance from the EFL, who want to temporarily withhold another injection of cash advanced by the Premier League.
There are fears they could be creating bigger problems down the line if they distribute it now and clubs use it to pay wages due imminently rather than tackling the issue of cuts.
In addition to £56million of solidarity money originally earmarked for August, the Premier League have advanced around £11million in Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) payments and another £56million in parachute payments that will only benefit those EFL clubs recently relegated from the top flight.
EFL clubs were told this week in a letter from Parry not to resume training until May 16 “at the earliest” with the aim of finishing the season in 56 days once football restarts. Parry has also advised clubs to consider giving players holiday time now, even if that is unlikely to be welcomed by squads who are in lockdown like the rest of the country.
Parry faced criticism from the League Managers Association whose chief executive Richard Bevan accused him of failing to consult with clubs and managers. “You do not get strong leadership, you do not get the end product all working together if you just send a letter out without taking their advice and thoughts,” he said. Bevan said he has written to Parry to demand video conferences take place with six managers from each of the three divisions to discuss how the season can re-start and the issue of player contracts.
 
Thanks Ex for 3 great article.

I do wonder whether the implosion of the football finances may not be a bad thing for Arsenal in the mid to long term. If you're not saddled with a stadium debt and the gate receipts goes back to being a bigger percentage of the revenue, then you might come out of this better once you've dealt with the short term stuff that every club also has.

The other piece I keep thinking about is the way that football is consumed. We are so used to TV companies and football leagues creating that closed shop approach and price setting. Netflix, Amazon, YouTube etc are disruptive technologies and what would happen if every game was pay-to-view and at the time it is being played. The previous mindset was that it has to be that way because game attendances would drop if people consumed football from their armchair.

I've said this already, but football needs a "go-to" vision. Without that blueprint it's really hard to plot a path. Especially in the UK where the leagues need restructuring. It definitely helps when you're in crisis management like we are right now. I think all 3 articles consistently show that it's gonna get really ugly first and there's no real leadership, just everyone fighting their corner.
 
Thanks Ex for 3 great article.

I do wonder whether the implosion of the football finances may not be a bad thing for Arsenal in the mid to long term. If you're not saddled with a stadium debt and the gate receipts goes back to being a bigger percentage of the revenue, then you might come out of this better once you've dealt with the short term stuff that every club also has.

The other piece I keep thinking about is the way that football is consumed. We are so used to TV companies and football leagues creating that closed shop approach and price setting. Netflix, Amazon, YouTube etc are disruptive technologies and what would happen if every game was pay-to-view and at the time it is being played. The previous mindset was that it has to be that way because game attendance would drop if people consumed football from their armchair.

I've said this already, but football needs a "go-to" vision. Without that blueprint it's really hard to plot a path. Especially in the UK where the leagues need restructuring. It definitely helps when you're in crisis management like we are right now. I think all 3 articles consistently show that it's gonna get really ugly first and there's no real leadership, just everyone fighting their corner.

It's going to be tough/grim if this does carrying on into the autumn. I do know of a plan that has been formed to get all outstanding games closed behind closed doors - it would be a non-stop football feast for one month. Players and staff and anyone else at the grounds would all be tested everyday and after every game.

Goes without saying there would be no fans and strictly no crowds allowed outside the grounds and no pubs open - would it work?

I think it would, although the games would be sanitised; there is one projection I've seen this morning that suggests it would be the biggest viewing TV figures for football - ever!!

The plan is being forcibly being pushed by the media., but the government will have to agree, and they won't even consider it in full for another 4-5 weeks.

In ending, don't expect leadership from anyone, everyone is fighting their corner and it will be a pure coincidence if interests align. I am aware that one PL is already reviewing options preparing for administration if the season cannot be played to the end.
 
It's going to be tough/grim if this does carrying on into the autumn. I do know of a plan that has been formed to get all outstanding games closed behind closed doors - it would be a non-stop football feast for one month. Players and staff and anyone else at the grounds would all be tested everyday and after every game.

Goes without saying there would be no fans and strictly no crowds allowed outside the grounds and no pubs open - would it work?

I think it would, although the games would be sanitised; there is one projection I've seen this morning that suggests it would be the biggest viewing TV figures for football - ever!!

The plan is being forcibly being pushed by the media., but the government will have to agree, and they won't even consider it in full for another 4-5 weeks.

In ending, don't expect leadership from anyone, everyone is fighting their corner and it will be a pure coincidence if interests align. I am aware that one PL is already reviewing options preparing for administration if the season cannot be played to the end.

I can only imagine what total meltdown would be happening in football had the virus struck this coming autumn with 3/4, not a 1/4 of the season to go. Add to that, if it would have been next season in the middle of the TV contract negotiation.

Closed door football is gonna have to be a pretty compelling argument to the government when it's all on pay TV and there's no opportunity for congregation of fans to watch it in stadia, homes or pubs. If we do get through the last set of televised games, it's going to be interesting to watch The PL hold the TV company's feet to the fire for the next 2 years.
 
I can only imagine what total meltdown would be happening in football had the virus struck this coming autumn with 3/4, not a 1/4 of the season to go. Add to that, if it would have been next season in the middle of the TV contract negotiation.

Closed door football is gonna have to be a pretty compelling argument to the government when it's all on pay TV and there's no opportunity for congregation of fans to watch it in stadia, homes or pubs. If we do get through the last set of televised games, it's going to be interesting to watch The PL hold the TV company's feet to the fire for the next 2 years.

The government will have a very strong hand and I'm also told by a producer at Sky that there is every chance that the crisis will mean they'll put everything on free to air along with BT and terrestrial TV.

As for the TV companies, they were very confident that the next deal was going to be an even bigger one when it gets settled in 2022.

I have no idea now if Coronavirus helps or hinders the TV companies now, when it's all over how many match attending fans will the PL have lost and will TV rights makes it up as their numbers too may slump...but there is also a train of thought that if they restructure the deal to gain access to 3 p.m. kick-offs - one game every week, plus the midday and 5:30 kick-off that they might well win those fans to TV payments.

The only thing clubs can do is build on the known and get ready for the unkown by building flexibility into their decision making and wherever sensible into their contracts.

Those with Cash in the bank will be the new PL winners in the long run.
 
AHEAD OF THE GAME: Sky's owners to stand by the Premier League in boost to hopes of avoiding a £414m TV rebate, #PlayersTogether fund has upset club chiefs... and West Ham and Tottenham team up in the pay-cut row
  • NBC have opened talks for an extension of their US Premier League rights deal
  • Norwich players are keen to avoid a pay cut - as they already face losing money
  • Some Premier League chiefs are not best pleased by players' new charity fund
  • West Ham and Tottenham are on good terms as they look to seal wage deferrals
  • Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID
By Matt Hughes For The Daily Mail
Published: 22:30, 10 April 2020 | Updated: 12:42, 11 April 2020




Sky Sports' owners Comcast have begun negotiations over extending NBC's contract to show Premier League matches in the United States in an indication that the American telecommunications giant is ready to stand by the competition despite the disruption caused by the suspension of the season.
NBC's existing £800million Premier League rights deal expires at the end of the 2021-22 season, but they have already held talks over an extension with a view to completing a deal within the next 12 months.
The Premier League's biggest concern over protecting television revenue during the coronavirus crisis is the possibility that foreign broadcasters will not pay rights fees or demand rebates so Comcast's interest in renewing NBC's contract is extremely welcome.


Sky Sports' owners are looking at extending their deal to show the Premier League in the US

The Premier League are confident of reaching an agreement with Sky and BT Sport on TV cash


There are no immediate fears about BeIN Sports, who hold the Premier League rights in the Middle East and North Africa, not paying up either as their next payment is not due until March 2021.
The Premier League are also confident that they can come to an agreement with domestic rights holders Sky Sports and BT Sport that will avoid them demanding rebates on the £414m of matches that are still due to be screened this season.
Both broadcasters have much to lose if the Premier League suffers long-term financial problems, whilst they are also conscious that aggressively demanding refunds could drive clubs towards streaming giants Netflix and Amazon, who are both benefitting from the shutdown and preparing to launch bids for the next TV rights package from 2022 to 2025.


Amazon are preparing to launch another bid for TV rights packages from 2022 to 2025


Pay cuts are a nightmare for Norwich stars
Norwich City's players are among the most resistant to accepting wage deferrals as the vast majority of the squad are already facing up to a 50 per cent pay-cut later this year as a result of being relegated from the Premier League.
Daniel Farke's side are adrift at the bottom of the suspended table six points from safety so many of the players regard an imminent drop in income as inevitable.
In contrast Norwich's predecessors as Championship winners, Wolves, are so confident in their financial position that they have yet to propose deferrals or cuts to their players.


Norwich City players are already facing a 50 per cent pay-cut if they are relegated this season


Clubs fears over NHS fund
The #PlayersTogether fund which was set up by top-flight stars earlier this week to collective and distribute money to the NHS and associated charities has not been universally welcomed within football.
While no-one is questioning the players' good intentions and hard work in creating the fund several executives have noted that the significant charity donations may make it harder for them to agree wage-cuts with the players, which the clubs insist will be necessary to keep some of them afloat during the shutdown.


Jordan Henderson has led the Premier League players in setting up their new charitable fund


Brentford in the lurch over £60m stadium
Brentford are still selling season-tickets and hospitality packages for their new season despite uncertainty about whether it will be able to open as planned later this summer.
Building work on the £60m Brentford Community Stadium was suspended for two weeks earlier this month and a longer delay seems inevitable as the government lockdown is expected to be extended next week, leading to fears about whether the 17,500-capacity stadium will be finished on time.
Brentford have sold Griffin Park to property developers Kew Bridge Gate who have planning permission to build 75 houses on the site, but have the option of returning to their old ground next season if the new stadium is not finished.


Uncertainty surrounds Brentford's new stadium - with work on the £60m ground halted


Wages war unites rivals
West Ham and Tottenham have been unlikely allies in the Premier League's attempts to get players to accept wage deferrals, with both clubs working together to encourage others to follow a common approach to the problem.
Relations between the two London clubs have been strained at boardroom level for over a decade as both initially sought tenancy rights at the Olympic Stadium in an acrimonious row that led to West Ham taking legal action against their rivals, but this bitter history appears to have been forgotten for now.
West Ham are having more success in negotiating with their players than Tottenham, whose tendency to play hard-ball in contract talks and decision to furlough non-playing staff is counting against them.


David Sullivan, Boris Johnson, Karren Brady, the Mayor of Newham and David Gold pose as West Ham are announced as the tenants of the London Stadium - ahead of Spurs - in 2013


Cancellation of non-League down to sponsorship pull
The controversial decision to declare the season null and void in the Isthmian League, Southern League and Northern Premier League was strongly influenced by BetVictor pulling out of a £30,000 sponsorship deal with all three leagues.
The bookmaker began a two-year sponsorship deal last summer with the money used to fund the running of the leagues, but Sportsmail has learnt that the deal contained a break clause which BetVictor have triggered.
'BetVictor have terminated the sponsorship mainly because of escalating negativity towards betting in football,' the Northern Premier League chairman Mark Harris wrote in an email to clubs this week.
 
Arsenal aim to save £25 million in player wage cuts unless they can qualify for Champions League

Club will pay players as is until end of month but seek to trim 'bloated' wage bill

By Sam Dean 12 April 2020 • 5:14pm
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Champagne wage bill, Tizer league Credit: GETTY

Arsenal are looking to save around £25 million by cutting player wages if they do not qualify for next season’s Champions League, the Telegraph understands.
Talks are continuing between Arsenal executives and the first-team squad, who are believed to have been unconvinced by proposals of a pay cut rather than a deferral.
As first revealed by Telegraph Sport, Arsenal have proposed that their players will not have to take a pay cut as long as they qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Arsenal’s wage bill, currently around £230m, has been a major drain on the club’s finances since they fell out of Europe’s premier competition three years ago, with director Josh Kroenke describing it last year as a “Champions League wage bill on a Europa League budget”.
It is understood that the proposed pay cuts for the players would shave around £25m off the annual wage bill, although the reductions would be less severe if Arsenal are able to qualify for next season’s Europa League.
Mikel Arteta’s side are currently ninth in the Premier league, five points behind fifth-placed Manchester United and eight points behind Chelsea in fourth.
Arsenal are trying to avoid following in the footsteps of their rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who have faced heavy criticism for furloughing non-playing staff.
The club has committed to paying their staff in full until the end of April. No decisions have yet been announced regarding what will happen to staff beyond the end of the month, with the short-term financial future closely tied in with the discussions with the players.
Arsenal’s latest accounts show that the club made a £27.1m loss last year, despite an increase in football revenue, in large part because of the bloated wage bill.
Club executives have made no secret of the need to return to the Champions League if they are to be financially sustainable going forward.
Players across the country have been far more receptive to the idea of deferrals rather than pay cuts. Last week, Southampton became the first Premier League to reach an agreement with their players, who will defer ten per cent of their salaries to ensure non-playing staff receive their full wages.
West Ham United have since followed suit, saying the deferrals agreed by their players will help to retain jobs and ensure non-playing staff are paid in full.
 
Roy Hodgson insists that current Premier League season must be completed

Hodgson does not want the season to come to an "artificial" conclusion

By Sam Dean 12 April 2020 • 3:36pm
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Roy Hodgson, manager of Crystal Palace Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Roy Hodgson has warned against using “artificial means” to determine the final standings in the Premier League as he spoke of a widespread agreement that the season must be completed.
In a letter to Crystal Palace supporters, in which he praised players across the league for supporting the NHS, Hodgson said the club would do “what it takes” to get the season finished, even if that meant playing matches in a condensed period.
Leagues have been warned by Uefa that their teams could be barred from playing European football next season if they cancel their seasons as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
“Everyone is in total agreement we need an end to this season,” Hodgson said.
“We don’t want artificial means of deciding who wins the league, who gets into the Champions League, who gets relegated and promoted.
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Crystal Palace's Jordan Ayew celebrates scoring against Brighton in February Credit: ACTION IMAGES
“Ideally our players would have three or four weeks’ minimum to prepare for the first match back, but I accept there may have to be a squeeze on that timeframe. It might mean extra restrictions at our place of work - the training ground - for example.
“It may also mean that we have to play our nine remaining matches in a shorter period of time than we normally would have done, and subsequently receive a shorter break between the seasons.
“But I think with all of these sacrifices – and I am uncomfortable using that word in such a context - everyone will be more than happy to go along with what it takes in order to get playing again as soon as possible in order to get the season finished.”
The former England manager, who at 72 is the oldest manager in the Premier League, said he and his wife are healthy. They are spending part of their days “sitting with a book” and watching the River Thames go by from their apartment in West London.
 
English football's losses could ripple across Europe if transfer market grinds to halt




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European clubs rely on English clubs for revenue through the transfer market Credit: Getty Images
Another seven days in English football’s coronavirus crisis and it feels like a long time since Saturday week when selected Premier League players were given the hard sell across 12 slides on how they might save the game by donating up to 30 per cent of one year’s salary.
Unlike so many of the investment ideas that have been marked for the attention of footballers in recent years – generous tax relief opportunities in the movie industry, racehorses of dubious pedigree – this one did not disguise the likely outcome. It was a cost, with no upside other than saving half the £1.137 billion the game was projected to lose. Seven days on and only two clubs have struck any kind of wage agreement, those ten per cent, three-month deferrals at Southampton and a non-specified figure slightly higher at West Ham.
No word yet as to whether last week’s document, “Covid-19 impact on the Premier League, the Clubs and on Player Remuneration”, is officially still on the table, or whether is largely off the table and relocated to the recycling bins at the end of some very long driveways. It seems that way. The players have decided that they want to see a real crisis before they come back to the negotiating table and judging by the clubs’ moods that is exactly what they intend to give them.

In the meantime the search goes on for somewhere to play the remaining games of 2019-2020 on this lockdown island where the consequences of not finishing the season are only matched by the doomsday scenario of not starting the next. Games cannot be played at training grounds because broadcasters do not have the necessary cabling infrastructure in place, and without television there is no point anyway. The proposal to quarantine teams and officials in hotels in football’s equivalent of the nuclear bunker has so far come up against the not-insignificant problem that all hotels, save those for key workers, are currently closed.
They could dispense with the football and broadcast the quarantined hotel as an alternative reality-television show and you have to wonder how soon before Daniel Levy suggests it. Certainly, the subscription numbers could be strong for a putative dispute between Dejan Lovren and Eric Dier over the setting on the breakfast buffet toaster.
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Southampton are one of the Premier League teams who agreed a wage deferrals Credit: Reuters
Elsewhere in Europe the darkness rolls in. Not least in Scotland where Rangers called for the suspension of the SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster on Saturday over the botched voting process to find a resolution to the Scottish league season. In Spain, Barcelona’s governance is in flames with the resignation of six directors on Thursday night in protest at president Jose Maria Bartomeu. England’s Football League clubs are already sounding the sirens of distress.

All over the game the fault-lines of mutual distrust, weak governance and seat-of the-pants investment are being exposed.
English clubs spent £1.2 billion in 2019 on international transfer last year alone according to the Fifa transfer matching system report, the highest of any Fifa nation in the world and around £200 million more than Spain in second place. The English game's net spend was £441 million, again the highest anywhere in the world, far in excess of Spain in second place on £300 million. English clubs were the biggest clients for clubs in France (£318 million), Spain (£214 million), Italy and Germany (both £168 million). They were part of six of the ten most lucrative transfer streams in world football between two different countries, either buying or selling. It would be fair to say what happens to the Premier League’s income over the next few months will have an effect throughout Europe.
English football is fond of overstating its importance in the game but as an economic driver it has no equal. If that £1.137 billion loss predicted by the Premier League last weekend comes to pass then it will have a seismic effect, but already it has blown a hole in the budgets of many in Europe. The transfer market is the redistribution of the English game’s wealth around Europe primarily, and the fees for 2019 signings like Joelinton from Hoffenheim, Nicolas Pepe from Lille and Rodri from Atletico Madrid form part of the business plans of their clubs.
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Nicolas Pepe was a big-money signing Credit: Getty Images
There will be no spending this summer on anything like the scale that many will have anticipated, instead English clubs will have to assess how they meet their existing obligations for transfers. There is no warning bell yet that they will not be able to meet their payments in full. Any disruption to that market having a potentially ruinous domino effect, which is why Fifa has no option but to oversee it. One wonders how much pressure is currently being placed by creditors on selling clubs who have used transfer fee factoring, when a sale generating a fee payable in instalments is exchanged with a third party financer in return for an immediate up-front payment.

The cost to the Premier League, whatever that is, and whenever it is finally counted, will be the cost to European football too. This was the last summer before the English game’s biggest clubs expected to be freed from current work permit restrictions in the post-Brexit landscape, which have largely prevented them buying direct from South America. In short it was what many European clubs, especially those who had shrewdly traded as a middle-man for South American talent going to the Premier League, had hoped would be their last big payday.
Since the players were approached unsuccessfully last week, it is hard to discern the progress made by the English game in seeking an answer to its problems in this second week of April, as the death-toll rises and the lockdown continues. Its grassroots game is at crisis point, the EFL has told the players’ union that many of its League One and Two clubs cannot meet their April payroll. The only answer so far seems to be to get the games on but here, in the heart of the pandemic, no-one can yet say when or how.
 
If they want to finish this season it means delaying next season. Which means either severely condensing the season to account for the euros next summer or having a gap mid season for the euros. Which in turn means starting the next season late to end when the world cup begins before starting the next season again.

All of which adds up to players not getting the rest required between seasons. With such a big deal being made recently about the need for a winter break for safety of the players I don't see how they can commit to 2/3/4 season of barely any rest.

Unless of course money is more important than player welfware (shocked face)