Getting Premier League footballers to take a pay-cut right now, ought not to be a complicated business. It’s all well and good pointing and screaming at wealthy owners, but if players don’t take a meaningful cut, then they are damaging the future prospects of the club. This, incidentally, while they are sat at home playing Space Invaders.
David Ornstein this morning writes on the subject and surprise, surprise, the proposed COVID-19 salary discussions have revealed underlying grievances in the Tottenham squad.
Some Spurs players feel as if a wage cut when they had already been undervalued in the first place – simply isn’t on. Then, there are the pre-tax profits that eclipsed all others in the Premier League.
Levy’s comment about players and coaches doing their bit for the football ecosystem should have literally gone without saying. Indeed, in an ideal world, it’s a remark that should have stayed in-house.
Arguably, the net result has been much foot-dragging, and the setting up of the #PlayersTogether initiative which cynics might say is a device to allow the players to say, ‘well, we’re already doing our bit’.
The next payday at Spurs is on April 30th, in 5 days’ time.