‘TAKE CUT OR WE’LL GO BUST’

Top clubs eye historic truce to prevent them from poaching each other’s players

what they want. One executive at a Championship club explained: ‘We may well end up with a situation where clubs across the board are in breach of contract and in which the players can say, “Right, I am going to move elsewhere unless you pay me”. ‘To try to stop that happening, there have already been talks that could see the Championship and Premier League sides sign effectively what would be a pact in which they say they will not take advantage of the crisis to take players from others. It’s exploratory at this stage, but it may have to come to fruition should the situation get worse.’ The official added that the stark reality of the situation has been laid bare to their club’s players, saying: ‘They know that this cannot go on. They have been shown the figures in black and white and it’s clear that if this continues changes will have to be made, regardless of what the PFA tells them. It may be that they either take a cut or the club goes bust, and then they will be stuck because there will not be many others willing to take the burden of their salaries.’

PREMIER LEAGUE and Championship clubs could sign a historic truce which would stop them poaching players from each other in the event that the wage cuts situation turns into a war.

Sources have disclosed that a peace treaty is among a number of measures being discussed by various executives who feel a collaborative approach may be needed should angry footballers threaten to leave for rivals over potential salary deductions as the coronavirus crisis continues.

Discussions over deferrals are currently ongoing and, although an agreement for this month’s salaries may well be reached, what happens beyond that is up in the air. It is hoped that mid-May could see a return to training, but if football is no closer to being restarted at that point, clubs may feel it necessary to take further, stringent measures they believe could upset their players.

and, given that many might well be in the same boat, there is a feeling that an unprecedented armistice would prevent players from threatening to move elsewhere in this country to try to get