West Ham face exodus threat amid 50 per cent cut to player wages
West Ham’s players will be hit with a 50 per cent wage cut after their relegation from the Premier League was confirmed.
Morning Wire understands that a relegation decrease clause is written into all player contracts, a factor that will make retaining their star players difficult as the club attempts to rebuild a squad capable of winning promotion from the Championship at the first attempt.
West Ham narrowly missed out on safety on the final day of the season, finishing on 39 points – the highest total for a relegated club in 15 years – and two from safety.
West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen will be one of the most sought-after players, though the 29-year-old forward hinted after the final game of the season on Sunday that he may stay. He signed a seven-year contract in 2023 – on around £150,000 per week – that runs until 2030.
Midfielder Mateus Fernandes is attracting interest from leading Premier League sides but is also under contract until 2030. Crysencio Summerville excelled in the second half of the season, scoring seven goals in 18 games, and is valued at around £30m.
It is a challenging landscape to navigate for a club that posted losses upwards of £100m in their latest accounts. West Ham will do so without Baroness Karren Brady, the vice-chair who stepped down in April after 16 years at the club.
German spy school
With Southampton manager Tonda Eckert facing a Football Association charge for his significant role in the “Spygate” saga that gripped the Championship play-offs, it raises the question of where he learnt the practice.
Spying is viewed differently across Europe: in the UK it is a serious offence that can warrant expulsion from a competition – as Southampton discovered – while in Germany it is far more commonplace and accepted.
Eckert admitted to the independent EFL panel overseeing the case that he “specifically authorised the observations”, according to the subsequent written reasons.
Scan the 33-year-old’s CV and it shows that he was assistant coach at Cologne’s Under 17s from 2013 to 2016, when he was in his early 20s. During that period, Cologne were accused by Hamburg of sending a spy – pretending to be a journalist – to a January training camp in Dubai ahead of a match.
The scout attended an interview with the Hamburg chief executive and even booked into the team hotel before being rumbled.
Did this episode influence a young Eckert to develop a widespread practice – Southampton admitted to spying on Oxford United and Ipswich, as well as Middlesbrough – that has now landed him such trouble?
The FA is investigating and, unlike the EFL, has powers to punish the individuals involved.
$1m VIP UFC tickets
When the White House lawns are taken over by a temporary UFC arena next month, most of the tickets will be given away to military personnel. But Morning Wire has been told that event organisers are attempting to sell VIP tickets for upwards of $1m.
The special tickets will grant access to the post-fight press conferences, the weigh-ins, a welcome reception and premium seating.
The event – the first of its kind – is called UFC Freedom 250, held to mark President Trump’s 80th birthday that day and the 250th anniversary of American independence.
On the six-fight card is the UFC lightweight title unification bout between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, while Alex Pereira will attempt to become the first UFC fighter to win titles in three weight classes when he faces Ciryl Gane.
A 4,500-seat arena will be built on the South Lawn, with a UFC Octagon cage at its centre and big screens around the perimeter. They are also giving tickets away to the general public to watch from the expansive parkland behind the White House.
The UFC Freedom 250 website describes it as the “most historic sporting event of all time”.
Fan votes for all?
Football fans are growing tired of having no input into dramatic alterations to the sport they love – and are preparing to take action next month.
At the Football Supporters’ Association AGM on 6 June, members will vote on mandating the organisation to lobby competition organisers to force clubs to consult fans before voting on structural changes.
The motion – proposed by Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust and seconded by their counterparts at Millwall – comes in response to changes to the Championship play-offs announced this year. From next season, six teams – rather than four – will qualify for the post-season.
Teams finishing third and fourth will automatically qualify for the semi-finals, while those finishing fifth through to eighth will play one-off ties to join them.
The EFL insists the changes will strengthen the competition. But while the change was voted through, opponents argue they are unnecessary and are concerned it will encourage more clubs to gamble financially.
A wider fan disillusionment has lingered in the aftermath of the failed European Super League project. In the Premier League, clubs are now mandated to have a Fan Advisory Board and to consult it on decisions. But some involved feel these bodies have become a box-ticking exercise with little influence.