"If it's workable and if leagues around Europe can come to some agreement with it, then something needs to change," says Tony Bloom
Thursday 16 April 2020 20:26, UK
Brighton owner Tony Bloom says that he would be in favour of a salary cap being introduced in the Premier League but admits that it would be "very difficult" to implement.
In April 2019, financial analysts Deloitte found that the Premier League clubs made £4.8bn last season, with almost 60 per cent of that spent on wages.
And Bloom believes that something has to be done to ensure teams stay competitive but don't risk the future of their clubs.
"If it's going to work, it needs to be worldwide, or at least Europe," Bloom told Sky Sports News.
"I see big difficulties with that. I'm sure there are legal issues there.
"But if it is workable and if leagues around Europe can come to some agreement with it, then something needs to change.
"It's very difficult for clubs to be competitive and to do right by their clubs but, on the other hand, we've seen a lot of clubs spend a lot of money, not be sustainable, and put the clubs long-term viability on the line.
"Something like a wage cap will be talked about, but I see it very difficult to come to fruition."
Brighton's chief executive Paul Barber, technical director Dan Ashworth and head coach Graham Potter have all taken significant voluntary pay cuts in an attempt to help ease financial uncertainty during the coronavirus pandemic.
Bloom, who has been Seagulls owner since 2009, believes the current situation could be the catalyst to help clubs become more sustainable.
"Outside of some Premier League clubs and some clubs in the lower leagues, especially if they sell a player for a good amount of money, most clubs do make losses," he said.
"I think after this situation has resolved, I do think football will come together.
"At the moment, a lot of our football clubs are at risk of not only going into administration but of going bust. It needs something like this crisis to get across some significant change."
