Wigan´s Whelan calls for salary cap

Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan wants the English Premier League to put a salary cap in place to control wage bills.

Players’ pay has increased rapidly over the last decade with more money coming into the game from television revenue and wages could rise even further when the next TV rights deal takes effect in the 2013/14 season.

Whelan feels action needs to be taken from the game’s governing bodies to ensure teams are not overwhelmed by rising wage bills.

He has also warned even top teams such as Manchester United could suffer if something is not done to stop salaries increasing.

“We all agree that there now needs to be controls over wages – even Manchester United agree,” Whelan told Wigan Today.

“(United chief executive) David Gill has made it clear he would support some kind of control, how the controls are put into place is the tricky bit.

“Personally I wouldn’t be afraid to take the toughest route of all and have a ceiling on how much each club can pay in wages. A salary limit needs to be enforced.”