Town face salary cap as virus hits finances
TOWN and their Championship rivals could be restricted by a salary cap – but not for another 12 months.
Danny Cowley’s men are hoping to find out this week if, or when, the 2019-2020 campaign can be restarted.
It is claimed the salary cap idea is being debated by a working party that is wading through the financial wreckage of the coronavirus pandemic.
A £15m-£20m limit on firstteam squad salaries is high on the group’s agenda.
But the short timeframe before next season, and a number of practical problems, have combined to ensure that any restrictions will not take place until at least
2021.
Many Championship clubs will breathe a sigh of relief, as a hasty move towards introducing the pay ceiling would have decimated the transfer market this summer.
Such is the scramble to reach the Premier League that some clubs are spending every penny and more on player wages.
For every £1 of income generated by the clubs, the players are receiving £1.06, which has led EFL chairman Rick Parry to call for ‘a proper reset, post-Covid’.
The average player salary in the second tier is £29,000-per-week and seen as unsustainable.
There were fears the cap would be introduced whenever the current season draws to a close, generating a mad rush to clear the decks of players on seven-figure salaries.
Some clubs – including
Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke City – have several players who fall into the £1m-a-year bracket.
Being forced to offload them at very short notice would have led to bargains for the buying clubs, but the selling clubs would have to take huge hits on the price.
LEWIS O’Brien is understandably itching to get back to action.
The Town midfielder has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign with the Terriers.
He has become one of the key men under Danny Cowley and his performances have seen him linked with a number of Premier League suitors this summer.
Nevertheless, right now all O’Brien is focusing on is ensuring he stays
When you are at home on your own it is good to see some
familiar faces