Wolves aim high with massive bonuses
THE scale of ambition at Wolverhampton Wanderers can be seen in a player bonus scheme that is geared towards a top-half finish,
Sportsmail can reveal. In talks with squad representatives before the season started, the club’s hierarchy made it clear that mere survival would only receive relatively modest reward. Instead, increments reach all the way up to European qualification. Wolves players will share a pot of £3million for finishing 17th, with 10th landing them £10m. A Europa League place gives the squad £12m. It is a highly unusual structure for a promoted team but illustrates the priorities of owners Fosun, who wish to build Wolves into a Premier League force. A contrast can be observed at Cardiff, where Sportsmail understands a £10m pot will be shared between the players simply for avoiding relegation, with no additions for any positions higher. Player bonus schemes are commonplace at Premier League clubs, with squads given a slice of the revenue from broadcast deals that are worth £100m annually. Promoted sides usually get big sums for survival but Wolves managing director Laurie Dalrymple conveyed the message in discussions in July that chairman Jeff Shi wanted to incentivise grander aspirations. Finishing 17th would land each player in Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad around £150,000 each, depending on matchday involvement. That is almost five weeks’ wages for some players, but 10th would net more than triple that amount. A Europa League finish is worth approximately £650,000 each. When winning the Premier League, Leicester famously failed to include any increases in their player bonus scheme beyond 12th place, which was worth £6.5m to the team. Wolves sit 11th and ended a three-match losing run with a draw at Arsenal thanks to Ivan Cavaleiro’s early goal.