Sheffield United can't afford to pay promotion bonuses to their squad
Sheffield United CAN’T afford to pay promotion bonuses to their squad – worth between £250,000 and £400,000-per-man – after promising a massive £8m pay-out for securing the club’s return to the Premier League
- The Blades sealed their return to the Premier League with a win over West Brom
- There are concerns whether they will receive bonuses worth up to £400,000
- Sheffield United’s bonus scheme is among the most generous in the country
Sheffield United cannot afford to pay the players’ promotion bonuses after promising them a massive £8million pay-out for securing the club’s return to the Premier League.
Mail Sport has learned that there are real concerns amongst Paul Heckingbottom’s squad over whether they will receive bonuses worth between £250,000 and £400,000-per-man after they sealed promotion with a 2-0 win over West Brom yesterday.
United’s bonus scheme is among the most generous in the country, with players who have appeared regularly owed more than the £250,000 Manchester United stars would have collected for winning the Premier League for example, but there are major doubts at Brammall Lane over the current ownership’s ability to pay.
The club have been struggling with cash-flow issues for much of the season following owner Prince Abdullah’s decision to put them up for sale and the players have been told not to expect to be paid until later in the summer.
The £8m pot would equate to £320,000-per-man if split equally amongst Heckingbottom’s 25-man squad.
Sheffield United sealed their return to the Premier League with a win over West Brom
However, the Blades are concerned over whether they will receive their promotion bonuses
The £8m pot would equate to £320,000-per-man if split equally across Paul Heckingbottom’s (pictured left with owner Prince Abdullah) 25-man squad
The players’ pool agreement states that 80 per cent of the pot is divided pro rata based upon their Championship appearances, with the remaining 20 per cent split equally amongst all squad members.
United should be able to honour their financial commitments to the players eventually as promotion to the Premier League is worth a minimum of £170m over three years.
The club will not receive their first central payment from the Premier League however until the middle of July, by which point many of the players who won promotion are likely to have left.
United also have other creditors to pay, as a number of their non-footballing suppliers went unpaid earlier in the season.
The club were also put under transfer embargo by the EFL in January after defaulting on payments due to Liverpool for the signing of Rhian Brewster, which has only recently been lifted.
United should be able to honour their financial commitments to the players eventually but the club won’t receive their first payment from the Premier League until the middle of July
United were put under a transfer embargo in January after defaulting on payments due to Liverpool for the signing of Rhian Brewster which has only recently been lifted
In addition United face the prospect of legal action from Nigerian businessman Dozy Mmobuosi, who has invested around £8m in the club over the last six months whilst in takeover talks with Abdullah, which have now collapsed. Abdullah is still hoping to sell, but that process will take several months.
United’s financial problems were so acute earlier in the season that as Mail Sport revealed last month the club instructed ground-staff to cut back on the use of fertiliser and paint at the training ground to save money.
Without Mmobuosi’s funding and £6m generated from reaching the FA Cup semi-finals the club would have struggled to pay players their monthly wages.
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