Berlusconi wants to slash the wages

[devoted_dm]

Or so it's being reported today. My first reaction was pretty negative: "We'll never attract any stars now." But then I began to think that maybe Berlu is right about this, that it is in fact necessary for the club now.

I am not saying this based on how things are going for us this season, but on the current situation in the global financial market. Berlusconi is the prime minster of Italy, and he is also a talented businessman, so he would know something about what kind of financial situation we can expect in European football in the coming years. Could it be that by slashing Milan's wages, he is trying to avoid a potentially catastrophic situation for the club, where, in the case of another season of disappointment on the pitch, we're spending money we don't have and putting the club's future at serious risk?

Also, perhaps it is time to try another philosophy than acquiring old stars with huge wage demands? Maybe we should rather try to invest in young, talented players with a desire to succeed at the highest level, combined with a few star players who ensure that we have a quality side?

What do you think?

[boring]

If this is temporary due to the recession then one might understand. However, clubs like Citeh are running riot (though Chelsea has been affected by the recession, many other haven't been that badly impacted). I don't know what is the real reason behind this slash.

The squad you speak of in the last paragraph is something a wage cut and change desired at Milan will accomodate. Being a businessman, he probably wants to remove the bad investments (Sheva, Dida etc) but slashing Kaka and Pato's wages wouldnt make sense.

[Christian]

The old stars demand a huge wage bill, so we can only hope that it's these kinda players who's gonna get the axe. I think i read that Sheva's wage is still the same as when he was in his prime, since we're paying the wage in his Chelsea contract, which essentially puts him up with our best players.

It is bad business to pay that much wage for players who sits on the bench, and it is a further insensitiv to using young up and comers as frinch players instead of old stars like Dida, Sheva, Inzaghi, Emerson, since young players would naturaly demand less wage, unless ofcourse they were already superstars.

[ACMILAN1983]

A good start would be to be rid of those who we're paying ridiculous salaries to for very little in return. Eg. Favalli, Sheva, Emerson, Dida and Kaladze.

[Reza]

A further good start would be to demonstrate through talk and action that there is a plan. Galliani for example seems to have no qualms talking about where Kaka might end up so it would be nice if positive possibilities of the team are also talked up and followed upon more often.
If the wage bill is going to be lowered it will have to be across Serie A, it would be nice to get rid of the wages that everybody has mentioned but in the long term we have to match the wage bills of most within Italy and Europe if we are to compete, to me that's an unfortunate and inescapable reality.

[Warro Bantan]

The "$" I use instead of "S" for $heva, becomes more and more appropriate by the day.

Berlu is sounding a bit foolish IMO, to be:
a) Coming public with this and
b) to be taking this approach, when it was he who agreed to the salaries in the first place.

Now, he is being smart in making these adjustments, I just dont see the value in making these declarations public.

Anyhoo...it may mean Pippo gets a wage cut, as does $heva, Dida, Emerson, Kaladze...yet what are we doing re Beck´s salary? Will this cause some dissent in the camp? I am sure Golden Balls wont be paid a shilling a week....

And doesnt that harken to the old system of over-paying older players?

Unless its offset vs what income he will bring to the club...hmmm....interesting saga, this.

[Christian]

The "$" I use instead of "S" for $heva, becomes more and more appropriate by the day.

Berlu is sounding a bit foolish IMO, to be:
a) Coming public with this and
b) to be taking this approach, when it was he who agreed to the salaries in the first place.

Now, he is being smart in making these adjustments, I just dont see the value in making these declarations public.

Anyhoo...it may mean Pippo gets a wage cut, as does $heva, Dida, Emerson, Kaladze...yet what are we doing re Beck´s salary? Will this cause some dissent in the camp? I am sure Golden Balls wont be paid a shilling a week....

And doesnt that harken to the old system of over-paying older players?

Unless its offset vs what income he will bring to the club...hmmm....interesting saga, this.

Well correct me if i'm wrong, but I haven't seen Berlusconi quoted anywhere. Also the source seems to be MilanNews.it, and I don't know if that's the most reliable place.

I'm not saying that it's wrong, but one thing about Berlusconi is that he's a politician, and if there's one thing politicians are good at then it is to manipulate the media, and a statement like that would surely endanger Milans 'branch' as a European superpower.

[Rick]

Even if this is true, it doesn't mean a 30% wage cut across the board. As some have suggested, Milan could cut its wage bill by letting go of a good number of the older players, especially those who haven't been performing. You still want to pay guys such as Kaka, Pato, etc., top dollar. But by letting go of Seedorf, Ambrosini, Favalli, Emerson, Pippo, Dida and Shevchenko (plus Paolo retiring), then replacing them with younger, more hungry and less expensive talent, Milan can kill two birds with one stone by slicing expenses considerably while continuing to build for the future. There are plenty of younger players in Serie A today who would love to play for Milan and whose wages would be at much less than what the older superstars are making.

[Lebanese]

wage cut is a must. i mean to be honest milan squad doesn't deserve 120 mil euros. we are terribly managing our budget. we are giving dream wages for players who do not deserve 1/10 of their wage. Berlusconi is trying to handle the problem wisely first he is getting ride of the dead wood and trimming the team.
when you want to re-build your team you need to have clear ideas where to start and how to do it. when you wanna bring a player who is 10 times better than emerson its not logical to give him 1 million euros a year while you have emerson getting 4 mil a year.

this is how much we pay for underachieved players: 127,740,000

P.s. Pato's salary is 1 mil euros a year