I’m starting to think each league should set a wage cap of whatever the TV settlement is. The idea we could go up and not be able to compete financially is ridiculous. Why even have promotion and relegation?
A wage cap on what though? If a club has 10 times our turnover it should surely have 10 times the cap?
One of my long term proposals is that you set your percentage of income that you can spend on wages etc so that larger teams with bigger revenues can spend more heavily and thus afford 'better' players on higher wages).
Every player on a pro contract gets a basic wage based around 'fixed' income like the TV deals or sponsorships etc. So players in higher leagues will have a higher basic income (you could also split this further so U23 players get a lower percentage if desired)
Variable income like gate receipts, prize money etc is then divided out like a bonus at the end of the season, based upon time spent on the pitch. So those players that have contributed most to this money get the most of it. If the players don't perform then their own pay packets will be hit so it keeps them on their toes.
(Obviously the idea is more complex and I've planned it out in a bit more detail (i.e how to deal with transfer fees etc)
Bigger teams can still spend more than smaller teams due to higher revenues
Star players will still earn a great deal more than others due to more time on the pitch
Clubs are more secure as they can't spend beyond their means, safeguarding fan interests, and aren't left with expensive contracts if they get relegated resulting in a need for a firesale to get the wages off the books. If a club gets relegated and gets less TV money etc the following year then the players earnings will instantly reflect that and as they were part of the team that got relegated they can hardly complain.
Plus it'd likely help spread the talent around more as a player sitting on the bench at a CL club could potentially earn more as a first teamer elsewhere due to playing more minutes, so it stops talent hoarding and should, in theory, result in a better overall standard throughout the leagues.
Of course the problem with it is greed and unless it was brought in universally players and their agents would just got to clubs/leagues that didn't operate the system so they could sit back secure in the knowledge of a big fat wage packet regardless.