Southampton have become the first Premier League club to confirm that their players are taking a wage deferral.
In a statement on Thursday Southampton said the first-team squad had “agreed to defer part of their salaries for the months of April, May and June to help protect the future of the club, the staff that work within it and the community we serve”.
The club said the board of directors, first-team manager Ralph Hasenhüttl and his coaching staff had also agreed to the deferral.
Southampton committed to not furloughing any staff until at least the end of June. “Our owners, Mr Gao and Katharina Liebherr, have put measures in place to ensure that all staff not deferring part of their salaries will continue to receive 100% of their pay, paid in the normal way until 30th June,” the club said. “Any decision on the future beyond this date will be made in advance of this, but only when more information is known.”
Meanwhile, Wolves players and coaching staff have teamed up to make a six-figure donation to the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust to aid the city’s efforts against Covid-19.
“All of us in the squad, the boss and the staff wanted to do something significant to help Wolverhampton and the people of this city at what is a really difficult and challenging time for all of us,” said the captain, Conor Coady.
Wolves players have also donated separately to #PlayersTogether, a charitable fund set up by the Premier League captains.
Wolves and their owners, Fosun, have already donated 6,300 pieces of protective equipment to the city’s NHS and council.