A WhatsApp group including the captains of all 20 Premier League clubs has reportedly been set up amid discussions to cut players wages throughout the top flight.
The Daily Mirror report that "players are in full scale revolt over proposals to bring in drastic pay cuts" and that all 20 captains are being urged to stand together and reject the plans.
On Friday, the Premier League said the limit for cuts and deferrals was to be capped at 30% over a maximum of 12 months and that should be reviewed on a monthly basis. The proposals were reportedly agreed by the 20 clubs during a mass conference call and it was understood there is a commitment from every chief executive and chairman to agree to the same cuts.
However, Mirror Sport state that "what has annoyed the players is how this has come about with clubs going to players privately to try and force them into taking pay cuts and deferrals".
The national media outlet stated the players are "committed and willing" to make sacrifices to their wages but want the money to go to charities instead of "wealthy club owners".
The article also outlines that there is "genuine anger among the captains and frustration that they are being painted as the bad guys when the reality is they are fully committed to setting up their own charity foundation".
Reds skipper Jordan Henderson is setting up a fund for NHS workers and Danny Rose – currently on loan at Newcastle United from Tottenham Hotspur – revealed that plans were being put in place by the likes of his England team-mate before Health Secretary Matt Hancock called for millionaire football players to take pay cuts.
On Saturday, Premier League captains were told the scale of the financial crisis during a video conference call featuring Premier League executive Bill Bush, Professional Footballers’ Association chief Gordon Taylor, managers and club chief executives.
However, it is understood that no concrete proposals were given to the captains to take back to their dressing rooms which are said to be in "uproar after being told by their clubs to accept wildly different cuts".
Mirror Sport say "there were so many people on the call that people struggled get their point across, Kevin De Bruyne stood out as being particularly eloquent but, make no mistake, the pressure was put firmly on the players to bail football out".
The 20 Premier League captains then set up their own WhatsApp group straight after the formal video conference for their own informal gathering which "was bombarded with messages".
The ECHO's sister paper say they "understand that Henderson, West Ham captain Mark Noble and Watford skipper Troy Deeney were all hugely impressive and authoritative in the WhatsApp group."
The players reportedly signed off the WhatsApp group chat by insisting they stand together, they use Sunday as a family day and they do not talk again until Monday.
