Mon Apr 13, 2020 11:09 am
WILL CLUBS FACE TRANSFER EMBARGO?
Sky Sports
Monday 13th April 2020
Gary Neville has questioned how there can be a wave of transfer activity this summer in light of the coronavirus pandemic that has forced several clubs to furlough non-playing staff while also falling back on the Government Job Retention Scheme.
Neville told The Football Show: "These transfer discussions, whether it be Harry Kane to United for £200m or Jadon Sancho to City or United for £100m... it completely undermines the discussions the Premier League are having with the players around taking a 30 per cent pay cut.
"If you're asking for a 30 per cent pay cut across the board and you're going to spend another £1bm in two months on transfers... the Premier League spent £1.4bn last summer on transfers and the previous three summers they also spent over £1bn... if you're trying to get 30 per cent pay cuts from existing players, you may have to put a transfer embargo in place.
"If I was the PFA, and Tottenham want a 30 per cent pay cut, or Manchester United on their players, which was what was said a couple of weeks ago, then it's very difficult for the existing players then see their club do a transfer for £200m three weeks later.
"Transfers are things the fans love, and we love players moving around, but it does seem to me to be awry when we've got such a behind-the-scenes war going on with respect to players taking cuts, the clubs needing support, and then in the next breath you've got a £200m transfer speculation going on. That doesn't feel right to me. Premier League clubs can't stop the speculation, but there's no smoke without fire. I would suggest the Premier League to stop this would probably put a transfer embargo in place on all clubs that are looking to reduce their players' wages. That would take away a lot of the angst that is existing among the players behind the scenes who feel they're having the wool pulled over their eyes by the clubs."