Pundit Gary Neville has urged the Premier League and the Championship clubs to help out the teams from League One and League Two by sending their some of their players on loan to these leagues, without charging a fee.
“It’s been resisted previously (B teams) when those sort of ideas have been mentioned, I would personally resist it to maintain the pyramid that has promotion and relegation, it’s a been a fantastic thing for this country,” Neville told The Football Show, as quoted by Football London.
“Whether you’re a supporter of Rochdale or Manchester United or Liverpool, you’re proud of your club and you’re proud they stand on their own two feet.
“Maybe there could be a happy medium, I heard it suggested at a meeting a few weeks ago. It would be very helpful if Premier League clubs and Championship clubs, who have got more money, could loan players down to League One and League Two for no money.
“The teams that do loan down to League One and League Two would ordinarily charge. I think if you wanted to relieve the economic pain for the next two or three years, you could potentially, not partnerships, but a way that Premier League and Championship could soften the economical blow for the clubs in the lower divisions by not charging for players.
“That would be a real help. It would, in some way, if you could allow four or five players into, let’s say my club, hundreds of thousands of pounds. It would be the same for Stevenage or Oldham or Macclesfield or Wycombe and every other club that’s down in League One or League Two.
“Everyone would benefit. That’s what I’d say is a half-way house between losing the integrity of the lower-league clubs but sustaining how things are at this moment in time.”
Will the Premier League clubs act as good samaritans?
This is not the first bit of advice which has been handed out to all the Premier League clubs and we are sure, this won’t be the last.
But, at the same time, we do not think, all the concerned clubs will be eager to put out a helping hand when they are yet to access their own damages.
Almost all the Premier League clubs are bound to suffer major financial losses due to this unexpected to shut down and the extent of the damages will only be clear when the 2019-20 season officially comes to an end.
Yes, a number of the big English clubs will not shy away from sending some of their academy graduates to the lower league sides for free but that can only happen when these clubs are sure they themselves will not have to rely on these youngsters for the next few seasons.
