Is Wenger right?

Is AW right about top stars leaving the Premier League?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...tars-away.html

With this new 50% tax (not that important IMHO) and the collapse of sterling (important) - will the top stars head to the continent?

I don't think your lower players will go but your top stars - I reckon they've had a 20% pay cut in Euro terms in the last 12 months - will that be enough to push some players to take that step

Originally Posted by Jez Quigley

Is AW right about top stars leaving the Premier League?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...tars-away.html

With this new 50% tax (not that important IMHO) and the collapse of sterling (important) - will the top stars head to the continent?

I don't think your lower players will go but your top stars - I reckon they've had a 20% pay cut in Euro terms in the last 12 months - will that be enough to push some players to take that step

i hope so

we'll probably just end up paying them more to make up for it.

Nah. I bet they are still earning 30-50% more than most would in other countries. That and they will all be set up for all sorts of Tax dodges and methods of making up the shortfall. Plus, the weak pound won't last forever.

We were discussing the tax hike yesterday. Footballers have so much power that they will just demand a wage after tax. Ergo you will see a £200k a week player in England in the next couple of years. Hopefully it will be Kaka

Can't see it driving too many players out. Sterling will pick up again eventually and only the really greedy will be put off by losing a few grand when they're earning so much. I fully expect Jimmy Bullard to be a Vallodolid player next season though.

maybe, JQ, maybe....we'll still have Wayne, though.

Originally Posted by Switching Off

only the really greedy will be put off by losing a few grand when they're earning so much

hmm

I doubt if we'll see any kind of mass exodus, considering the mess that most of the Spanish clubs are in and the relative paucity of financial resources in the Italian game. The Italian teams will probably become somewhat more competitive on the margin, but to the extent that it does have a major impact, it will almost certainly be the major Spanish clubs who are the greatest beneficiaries. Already they enjoyed a 15% advantage in the tax rate levied on foreign players versus the UK, and this will now increase to 25%, meaning that they will be able to pay significantly higher net salaries at the same gross level of expenditure. So between this tax advantage and the collapse in Sterling, the big Spanish clubs are certainly in a much stronger position than they were a year ago.

I'd guess a fair amount of agents negotiate in euros.

Originally Posted by Switching Off

We were discussing the tax hike yesterday.

It must be a barrel of laughs round your house.

they'll all just go to City

there will probably some kind of way they can avoid paying a lot of tax anyhow

Originally Posted by Horst_ Bucholst

there will probably some kind of way they can avoid paying a lot of tax anyhow

Could you put that in layman's terms for me?

Originally Posted by Horst_ Bucholst

there will probably some kind of way they can avoid paying a lot of tax anyhow

Footballers' salaries are taxed on a PAYE basis. There are still ways to structure things so as to significantly lessen the tax liability on the others elements of their compensation, particularly for the foreign players with resident but not domiciled status, but the changes in this budget will certainly have an impact.

how will the nation ever attract the top talent if we keep imposing these incredible poverty-inducing burdens on them

i mean, even when it was just 45% look at the £#%&!ing mess the monkeys we attracted to the finance industry made of their work

Originally Posted by Grimson

Could you put that in layman's terms for me?

Why you......

Interesting to read this now. Fair to say the Labour Party is largely responsible for the clear and rapid deterioration in the standard of English football since this post was made? I think so.

Just realised this post was from 2009. Surely now top stars will be getting the £#%&! out the euro zone.

Originally Posted by Serenity Now

Interesting to read this now. Fair to say the Labour Party is largely responsible for the clear and rapid deterioration in the standard of English football since this post was made? I think so.

The same Labour party that hasn't actually been in power since May 2010??

Originally Posted by red in cumbria

The same Labour party that hasn't actually been in power since May 2010??

You tell him Tony!