Stijn Francis, the agent of Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld, has revealed that he thinks Premier League players should be allowed to leave their clubs for nothing if their wages are cut.
Football right across England and most of Europe has been forced to come to a standstill because of the coronavirus pandemic, with the financial impact on football growing more and more difficult as each day passes by.
At this moment in time, the remainder of the Premier League campaign has been suspended “indefinitely,” with no set date on when matches could return having been set.
Should the campaign not be able to resume because of the coronavirus pandemic, clubs in the Premier League could face up to losing over £1bn, which has brought about calls for the very top players to take pay cuts to ease those worries.
Premier League players, led by Liverpool midfield star Jordan Henderson, confirmed on Wednesday night that they have set up their “Players Together” charity fund, which has been set up and organised by the Professional Footballers’ Association [PFA], supported by the 20 Premier League clubs and 20 club captains.
However, clubs right across Europe, including the likes of Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid have asked their big-name stars to take wage reductions in a bid to support non-playing staff.
A number of non-playing staff at Premier League clubs, including those at Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, have been placed on furlough.
Now, Francis, who represents some of football’s biggest names, including Belgium and Napoli star Dries Mertens, has delivered a bold admission, insisting that players should be allowed to leave their clubs for free if they are forced to take a wage cut.
Writing a column for The Guardian, Francis said: “A “regular” worker is able to leave his or her employer in exchange for limited compensation or a notice period.
“Also the employer can terminate the relationship with the worker at any time by respecting a period of notice or paying compensation.
"If clubs sign a player they take a risk by paying a transfer or signing-on fee and by paying substantial wages.
“In exchange for this risk, players cannot leave the club before the end of the contract except when all involved parties agree otherwise. Players also know that during the contractual term they can be sure the club will pay their salary.
“Clubs now asking to reduce player salaries undermine this principle of contractual stability.
"If clubs insist on a wage reduction, players should be put in the same situation as any regular worker.
“Clubs reducing their players’ wages should accept that the players can terminate their employment for free and these clubs should no longer be able to ask a transfer fee if the player would like to leave.”
