New rules on budgets ahead of the new season

New rules on budgets and squad sizes could be introduced ahead of the new season

This EFL vote paves way for introduction of salary caps for Bristol Rovers, Sunderland and rest of League One and league 2

The salary caps in the EFL could be a step closer after clubs voted to reduce the threshold required to change financial rules.

League One and Two look set to enter a ballot on salary caps in the coming weeks, with the majority of clubs understood to be on board with the idea.

The proposals include a squad budget of £2.5million in the third tier, while League Two clubs would be given a budget of £1.25million.

Bonuses and other clauses included in players’ contracts would come under the same umbrella.

Clubs from across the league have been releasing some of their highest paid players on their retained list in recent weeks, with Bristol Rovers letting the likes of Liam Sercombe, Tony Craig and Tom Nichols go as they attempt to reduce the wage bill.

The path to salary caps looks to have been cleared after the level of support needed to pass legislation was lowered following Monday’s digital AGM.

Previously, 75 per cent support of a division was needed to pass, but that has now been brought down to two-thirds, which could show a willingness to implement caps on teams in all three of the EFL’s leagues.

Restrictions on the size of squads are also likely to be introduced, with clubs likely to be limited to 20 senior professionals, although players under the age of 21 will be exempt from the cap.

Talks have also reportedly been held over owners providing written guarantees to the EFL before the start of the new season that they have the means to pay wages throughout the campaign.

The move is hoped to prevent clubs from falling into the sort of financial difficulties that saw Bury’s expulsion from the league, while the likes of Macclesfield and Bolton have also been handed penalties over the past 12 months.

Clubs may be asked to forward any projected excess in salaries to a financial ombudsman at the beginning of any given season.


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Will this lead to a level playing field or is there any wiggle room? Does anyone know whether we will be able to hit the £2.5m?

Earwegoagain wrote:

Will this lead to a level playing field or is there any wiggle room?  Does anyone know whether we will be able to hit the £2.5m?

Well that would give 20 pros on £100,000 a year plus say the balance on 500k tops.
I'd imagine only Mayor, McFad and Byron Moore are on more ??

Earwegoagain wrote:

Will this lead to a level playing field or is there any wiggle room?  Does anyone know whether we will be able to hit the £2.5m?

Aslong as we dont do what Saracens did to get round their salary cap i think small leways can be permissable on case by case basis.

Angry wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

Will this lead to a level playing field or is there any wiggle room?  Does anyone know whether we will be able to hit the £2.5m?

Aslong as we dont do what Saracens did to get round their salary cap i think small leways can be permissable on case by case basis.

Why?


No point in having a limit if it can be breached.

Clubs with more spending power (bigger gates) will be able to afford to pay higher fees so getting the better players in.

Grovehill wrote:

Angry wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

Will this lead to a level playing field or is there any wiggle room?  Does anyone know whether we will be able to hit the £2.5m?

Aslong as we dont do what Saracens did to get round their salary cap i think small leways can be permissable on case by case basis.

Why?


No point in having a limit if it can be breached.

Clubs with more spending power (bigger gates) will be able to afford to pay higher fees so getting the better players in.

because in certain situation existing contracts have clauses in them that may be triggered that will put the club over their cap and that wont be the fault of the clubs which is why if that happens the efl wont be so mad. However if a club purposely goes over it then they will.

Angry wrote:

Grovehill wrote:

Angry wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

Will this lead to a level playing field or is there any wiggle room?  Does anyone know whether we will be able to hit the £2.5m?

Aslong as we dont do what Saracens did to get round their salary cap i think small leways can be permissable on case by case basis.

Why?


No point in having a limit if it can be breached.

Clubs with more spending power (bigger gates) will be able to afford to pay higher fees so getting the better players in.

because in certain situation existing contracts have clauses in them that may be triggered that will put the club over their cap and that wont be the fault of the clubs which is why if that happens the efl wont be so mad. However if a club purposely goes over it then they will.

Yes, Clubs already committed to paying over the Cap will be given time to adjust, but they'll probably go bust anyway. Like Bury & Bolton.

There certainly won't be any get-out clauses for teams like Argyle (which will please SH no end)

The whole point of wage caps is to save clubs from themselves. Any Club resisting is like a Lung cancer patient who carries on his 40 a day habit.

Grovehill wrote:

Angry wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

Will this lead to a level playing field or is there any wiggle room?  Does anyone know whether we will be able to hit the £2.5m?

Aslong as we dont do what Saracens did to get round their salary cap i think small leways can be permissable on case by case basis.

Why?


No point in having a limit if it can be breached.

Clubs with more spending power (bigger gates) will be able to afford to pay higher fees so getting the better players in.

We should be in this category on gates alone and should be getting a better quality of player in anyway

Earwegoagain wrote:

Will this lead to a level playing field or is there any wiggle room?  Does anyone know whether we will be able to hit the £2.5m?

We hit 2.4 million last year, so should be able to manage it.

Rickler wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

Will this lead to a level playing field or is there any wiggle room?  Does anyone know whether we will be able to hit the £2.5m?

We hit 2.4 million last year, so should be able to manage it.

Yeah if anything Argyles transition ought to be pretty smooth, working to an almost identical budget.

Sarcevic could have massively shot himself in the foot unless he can get a gig with a league 1 club. Salford won't be able to pay him a kings ransom on a total playing budget of £1.25m.

Czarcasm wrote:

Rickler wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

Will this lead to a level playing field or is there any wiggle room?  Does anyone know whether we will be able to hit the £2.5m?

We hit 2.4 million last year, so should be able to manage it.

Yeah if anything Argyles transition ought to be pretty smooth, working to an almost identical budget.

Sarcevic could have massively shot himself in the foot unless he can get a gig with a league 1 club. Salford won't be able to pay him a kings ransom on a total playing budget of £1.25m.

What will affect budgets is whether there are any crowds allowed. Start of the next season is only a couple of months away and I'd be amazed if crowds will be allowed for a couple of months after that. We could be looking at half that figure IMO. All other clubs will do the same you have to factor in worst case scenario.

Earwegoagain wrote:

Czarcasm wrote:

Rickler wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

Will this lead to a level playing field or is there any wiggle room?  Does anyone know whether we will be able to hit the £2.5m?

We hit 2.4 million last year, so should be able to manage it.

Yeah if anything Argyles transition ought to be pretty smooth, working to an almost identical budget.

Sarcevic could have massively shot himself in the foot unless he can get a gig with a league 1 club. Salford won't be able to pay him a kings ransom on a total playing budget of £1.25m.

What will affect budgets is whether there are any crowds allowed. Start of the next season is only a couple of months away and I'd be amazed if crowds will be allowed for a couple of months after that. We could be looking at half that figure IMO. All other clubs will do the same you have to factor in worst case scenario.

What James Brent!

Earwegoagain wrote:

Czarcasm wrote:

Rickler wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

Will this lead to a level playing field or is there any wiggle room?  Does anyone know whether we will be able to hit the £2.5m?

We hit 2.4 million last year, so should be able to manage it.

Yeah if anything Argyles transition ought to be pretty smooth, working to an almost identical budget.

Sarcevic could have massively shot himself in the foot unless he can get a gig with a league 1 club. Salford won't be able to pay him a kings ransom on a total playing budget of £1.25m.

What will affect budgets is whether there are any crowds allowed. Start of the next season is only a couple of months away and I'd be amazed if crowds will be allowed for a couple of months after that. We could be looking at half that figure IMO. All other clubs will do the same you have to factor in worst case scenario.

There won't be a start of the season unless crowds are allowed.  There's no way to pay the players.

Rickler wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

Czarcasm wrote:

Rickler wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

Will this lead to a level playing field or is there any wiggle room?  Does anyone know whether we will be able to hit the £2.5m?

We hit 2.4 million last year, so should be able to manage it.

Yeah if anything Argyles transition ought to be pretty smooth, working to an almost identical budget.

Sarcevic could have massively shot himself in the foot unless he can get a gig with a league 1 club. Salford won't be able to pay him a kings ransom on a total playing budget of £1.25m.

What will affect budgets is whether there are any crowds allowed. Start of the next season is only a couple of months away and I'd be amazed if crowds will be allowed for a couple of months after that. We could be looking at half that figure IMO. All other clubs will do the same you have to factor in worst case scenario.

There won't be a start of the season unless crowds are allowed.  There's no way to pay the players.

You do realise that was the point I was making?

This seems to me to be a way to ring-fence the top two leagues whose budgets are in general far bigger. A team gets promoted to the championship, how is it going to compete with the existing squad that got them there?

shonbo wrote:

This seems to me to be a way to ring-fence the top two leagues whose budgets are in general far bigger. A team gets promoted to the championship, how is it going to compete with the existing squad that got them there?

Good point. Also the actual place they need salary caps are in the prem where any billionaire can just buy titles if he keeps signing cheques.

Earwegoagain wrote:

Rickler wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

Czarcasm wrote:

Rickler wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

Will this lead to a level playing field or is there any wiggle room?  Does anyone know whether we will be able to hit the £2.5m?

We hit 2.4 million last year, so should be able to manage it.

Yeah if anything Argyles transition ought to be pretty smooth, working to an almost identical budget.

Sarcevic could have massively shot himself in the foot unless he can get a gig with a league 1 club. Salford won't be able to pay him a kings ransom on a total playing budget of £1.25m.

What will affect budgets is whether there are any crowds allowed. Start of the next season is only a couple of months away and I'd be amazed if crowds will be allowed for a couple of months after that. We could be looking at half that figure IMO. All other clubs will do the same you have to factor in worst case scenario.

There won't be a start of the season unless crowds are allowed.  There's no way to pay the players.

You do realise that was the point I was making?

Really? You have a strange way of making it.