Pink slips worry Premier League players

Middlesbrough’s Croatian striker Alen Boksic, Liverpool’s Czech midfielder Patrick Berger, Derby County’s Italian striker Fabrizio Ravanelli and Arsenal’s FA Cup-winning Ukraine defender Oleg Luzhny are among the big names let go of by their clubs.

The number of out-of-contract players released this summer has risen by five per cent, prompting PFA deputy chief executive Mick McGuire to tell the Union’s official website: ‘‘In what other industry is 20 per cent of its work-force technically out of work at the end of each year?’’

‘‘Whilst we constantly read about the multi-million pound-plus deals of the Premiership elite who have the security of four or five-year contracts, the fact remains that 75 per cent of our members play in the Football League and a great many of those are playing with no longer security than a one, or at best, two-year contract. However, we can’t make a true appraisal of the whole situation until we see the numbers who re-sign and those that remain out of work.’’

‘‘Many of the players on the list, and there are some notable names on it too, will be signed up by new clubs and, hopefully, their futures will be sorted out long before the start of the new season.’’

Clubs have had to tighten their belts as increased players’ wages and a drop in television income outside the Premier League has forced big cuts in playing staffs and transfer fees with a number of clubs having already been forced into administration.

McGuire pointed to some positive developments in the game, however, especially the expanding Conference division. ‘‘It’s worth remembering that whereas two years ago there were only 10 full-time clubs in the Conference, last year there were 14 and there could now be as many as 16, ’’ he said. (Reuters)