Nottingham Forest and their Championship rivals could be restricted by a salary cap – but not for another 12 months.
The promotion-chasing Reds are hoping to find out this week if, or when, the 2019-2020 campaign can be restarted.
The Mirror claims the idea is being debated by a working party that is wading through the financial wreckage of the coronavirus pandemic.
A £15-20million limit on first-team squad salaries is high on the group’s agenda.
But the short time-frame before next season, and a number of practical problems, have combined to ensure that any restrictions will not take place until at least 2021. Of course, Forest will be hoping they are in the Premier League by then.
Many Championship clubs will breathe a sigh of relief, as a hasty move towards introducing the pay ceiling would have decimated the transfer market this summer.
Such is the scramble to reach the Premier League that some clubs are spending every penny and more on player wages.
For every £1 of income generated by the clubs, the players are receiving £1.06, which has led EFL chairman Rick Parry to call for “a proper reset, post-Covid”.
The average player salary in the second tier is £29,000-per-week, and seen as unsustainable.
There were fears the cap would be introduced whenever the current season draws to a close, generating a mad rush to clear the decks of players on seven-figure salaries.
The Mirror says some clubs, including Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion, Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke City, carry several players who fall into the £1m-a-year bracket.
Being forced to offload them at very short notice would have led to bargains for the buying clubs, but the selling clubs would have to take huge hits on the price.
The report quotes one manager as saying: “I’ve been offered a former international striker who is earning £25,000-a-week and told I can have him for £15,000-a-week.
“I liked the player and might have taken him, but my chairman asked why I would take him at £15,000 when his price might be £10,000-a-week in a month’s time?
“It’s hard to argue with that.”
