In an effort to stop the wage escalation in football, one of the biggest teams in the world has come up with a wage scheme that could help other clubs to keep their financial statements balanced and still offer a competitive salary to some of the top players in the game.
Earlier today, German newspaper Sport Bild revealed the wage scale that will be used by Bayern München under new team exec Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic. With football living complicated times due to the coronavirus pandemic, this approach by the former footballers will reward the players' performances on the pitch while also recognizing their past contributions to the team's successes.
According to the newspaper, the top level of the wage scale includes those players who have been instrumental to their success in the past, while also having a stellar status in the world of football. The players included in this tier are Robert Lewandowski, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, and Leroy Sané, These players' wages will go from $15M to $20M.
The second level in this scale will see players earning between $10M and $15M. Some of the players included in this category are Joshua Kimmich, Kingsley Coman, and Serge Gnabry, among others. Kimmich could be added to the first group due to his ongoing negotiations to extend his deal.
The third tier of Bayern's wage plan would feature players earning $5M to $10M. Right now, some of the players named on this list include Nicklas Süle and Leon Goretzka, but the midfielder could join the next tier if he successfully extends his contract.
The last category, which will feature players earning $1M to $5M, will be reserved for rising talents from the lower categories or other teams.
Kahn and Salihamidzic's model could prompt some of the team's stars to search for other employment opportunities, but at least they would know which players they can count on if they want to build a proper team and pay them what the club seems adequate. Would you like your favorite team to embrace this approach? Let's see how many teams can copy this model in the near future.
