Pep Guardiola breaks silence on Premier League’s planned salary cap — delivers blunt message to critics
According to Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, the Premier League will “always be a strong league” and he has minimised the impact of a proposed salary cap law.
Next month, the 20 clubs will cast their votes on the new rules. Both City and their local rivals, Manchester United, are reportedly against the plan and will likely fight it.
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Spending on player salaries and transfer-related expenses would be “anchored” to the Premier League’s bottom club’s earnings under the proposed regulation.
Teams would only be allowed to spend five times the prize money and broadcast revenue earned by the lowest-earning team.
Given that 20th-place Sheffield United made about £110 million in the 2023–24 season, Premier League clubs’ annual spending on their playing staff would be limited to £550 million ($728 million) based on current earnings. The most recent wage bill for City was £412 million ($553 million).
If the new regulations are approved, it’s possible that some clubs would already be breaking them.
An source cited in The Times stated that “a minimum six-point deduction plus a point for every £6.5m of overspend” would be among the suggested penalties.
In England, clubs are already subject to the Profit and Sustainability Rules, which permit them to report losses of up to £105 million ($141 million) over a three-year period.
Since the proposed rule may have a detrimental effect on players’ pay, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) is thinking about taking legal action if it is implemented.
Numerous clubs oppose the plan; when it was first proposed in March of last year, both Manchester teams and Aston Villa voted against it. Chelsea did not participate.
Guardiola does not believe the new rules would significantly affect the Premier League’s capacity to compete on the continent, notwithstanding his employer’s objections.
The Catalan said he hasn’t had much say in how the team has responded to the vote, ahead of Saturday’s league matchup between City and Everton.
Guardiola remarked, “I have my (own) opinion about that,” “I didn’t talk to Ferran, my CEO (Soriano).” Let’s wait. Whatever the clubs decide will be acceptable, in my opinion.
Ultimately, there are advantages and disadvantages to every choice and regulation. Let’s see.
The Premier League, in my opinion, will continue to be a powerful league. It is the best in many ways, but it could be better in others. Whatever the clubs decide is acceptable.
Other voices in the football world are in a completely different key than Guardiola’s calm answer.
The Times quotes an insider as saying: “The Premier League’s capacity to draw in the greatest players in the world might be significantly impacted if we implement these anchoring regulations. In what way does that benefit English football?
When the proposals were first presented in March 2024, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the owner of Manchester United, had a similar stance.
He implied that if the Premier League approved the plan, it might be ceding its competitive edge against the best in Europe.
“It’s ridiculous that the Premier League’s top teams can’t compete with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and PSG. That’s the last thing you want. And if it does, it no longer qualifies as the world’s best league,” he stated.
Another insider cited in The Times has claimed that many of those organisations are “sleepwalking” into the possible new era, despite the fact that the other 16 clubs that seem to be generally in favour of the new rules have not been as forthright in their thoughts.
Given their current expenditure levels, many clubs don’t believe this issue will have an impact on them, hence they don’t have a strong opinion on it. We seem to be genuinely sleepwalking into this,” they remarked.
There are no simple solutions for English football’s sustainable funding
There aren’t many suggested rule changes that could have a greater impact on the Premier League’s competitive balance.
This plan will appear alluring because clubs at the bottom of the table can’t match the best teams’ revenue-generating capabilities.
Even if the motion is approved, it is unlikely that the argument over financial fair play in the world game’s most profitable domestic tournament would come to a definitive end because the PFA and many of the country’s most influential executives oppose the plan.
The most significant outcome in the Premier League this season may come from the vote next month. far more significant than any match between two teams.
