Portsmouth chief executive Mark Catlin has refuted suggestions that he has asked certain members of the playing squad to take pay cuts in order to keep them at Fratton Park, with the Pompey supremo seeking to set the record straight during an interview with The News.
The South Coast club have 11 players that are due to be out of contract this summer and as a result could face losing the likes of Craig MacGillivray, Jack Whatmough and Ryan Williams for nothing if they aren't tied down to fresh terms.
Catlin has also stressed that clubs in both League One and Two could be forced to reduce their wage outputs in the months ahead after the financial landscape of the Football League was torn to shreds by the ongoing pandemic.
Speaking out on the rumours of wage cuts being imposed, the chief executive had this to say:
"I speak to the players and there are absolutely no issues whatsoever. This is not even a Pompey-related issue, it’s a football-related issue.
"And just to be clear, I have not asked a single player to take a pay cut. Not one."
Jordy Hiwula, Tom Naylor, Andy Cannon, Bryn Morris, Ben Close, Duncan Turnbull and Charlie Daniels are the other players who are set to see their deals expire, with the aforementioned personnel needing to impress new Pompey boss Danny Cowley over the next few months in order to clinch new contracts.
The Verdict
I don't think anyone will; be too concerned about this issue right now at Fratton Park as all of the focus is currently on getting promotion to the Championship under the guidance of Cowley and co.
The futures of the players can be discussed at a later date and is with the case at many clubs, the virus will have an affect on their business.
Cowley is likely to want to revamp the squad either way depending on what division they find themselves in and as a result I think it would be fair to assume that quite a few will depart the South Coast.
Player turnover is part and parcel at football clubs and I think Pompey fans shouldn't worry too much about this speculation.