West Ham’s woes expose Premier League excesses

The new owners of West Ham have shone a light on the financial excesses of the Premier League by revealing that players and staff will have to take a 25 per cent pay cut to keep the club afloat - even if they stay up.

David Gold and David Sullivan took over the East London club last month and are battling to get the Hammers back onto an even keel, but say they have been stunned by the amount of money the club pays players, staff and others. The Sun claims West Ham's wage bill is £60m and that they still owe other clubs £15m in transfer fees.

West Ham's overall debt is £110m and with players like injury-prone Kieron Dyer (above), who has started 18 games in two-and-a-half years, being paid £65,000-a-week the club cannot continue as it is. Fringe defender Manuel Da Costa is said to receive £20,000.

"I can't believe the contracts I've inherited. Every position is overpaid, whether in administration or on the playing side. All are earning more than they would at other clubs," said Sullivan.

According to the Sun, the club pays a 'player liaison officer', whose job it is to drive the players around, £50,000 a year and a fitness coach receives £200,000.

"We have already had people in senior positions offer to take a voluntary 25 per cent reduction to keep their jobs," said Sullivan who warned that 20 or 30 people could lose their jobs in the summer.

"Many people at the training ground should take a voluntary pay cut," he added. "There's an army of people supporting the first team. Everyone at the club will be asked to take a salary cut in the summer. The club is in a mess and we all have to pull together. If we go down I can't even consider the situation."

He said relegation would lead to "Armageddon" for the club, but it is a very real possibility with the Hammers third from bottom of the league.

West Ham's plight is not yet as bad as that of fellow-strugglers Portsmouth, who have failed to pay their staff on time five times this season and face a winding up order this week. But it serves to illustrate how many Premier League clubs are living well beyond their means as they try to compete with the big spenders.

Portsmouth, who are currently under their fourth owner this season, are expected to survive if they can pay off some of their VAT bill.

But it is not just the smaller clubs who are struggling, even Manchester United have financial woes after being saddled with huge debts by their American owners, and the horror stories suggest that football's gravy train could be grinding to a halt.