Every player at Leeds United will have their salary reduced by 50% if the Whites are relegated from the Premier League, according to Phil Hay.
What’s the latest news out of Leeds?
Sam Allardyce is the fourth manager to take charge of the club this season and has three games to lift the club out of the bottom three. His task was made even harder after relegation rivals Everton and Nottingham Forest picked up crucial wins on Monday, whereas Leeds fell to a 2-1 defeat against Manchester City on Saturday.
The Whites now have homes fixtures against Newcastle and Tottenham and a trip to West Ham to save their season, but it looks as if contingency plans have already been put in place to cut costs, should they drop back to the Championship.
Hay shared a story for The Athletic this week, looking at what has happened at Leeds over the last 18 months after a first successful season back in the top flight under Marcelo Bielsa.
Within his in-depth report, the reliable journalist stated that the club are protected by clauses in each player’s deal that would see a salary reduction of at least 50% and possibly 60% for each squad member.
“The better news is that Leeds are protected by significant clauses inserted into every player’s contract, which will see wages fall by a minimum of 50 per cent and maximum of 60 per cent in the event of relegation. This would mitigate the financial damage.”
Good to see…
Leeds’ current expenditure when it comes to wages is £48.1m, with top scorer Rodrigo the highest earner on £100,000-a-week. Therefore, should the Whites suffer relegation, Leeds could save themselves a total of £28.8m, should each player have a 60% deduction in their wages.
It is good to see that Leeds have this plan in place instead of allowing players to pick up a top-flight salary in the second tier, but of course, everyone at Elland Road will be hoping they do not need to activate those clauses and that Leeds will once again be a Premier League club next season.
To do that, Allardyce will need to work his magic in the final three fixtures, starting with a positive result against Newcastle at Elland Road.
