The danger of the Declan Rice deal

By Sean Whetstone

While as supporters we might say  ‘just give Declan Rice what he wants’ that can become  a slippery slope which can have a disastrous consequences for the club.

For a long time West Ham have maintained a wage ceiling thought to be a maximum £115,000 per week which should not be passed to create equality.

Even Javier Hernández who was rumoured to be on £140,000 per week is thought to have been on this basic with add-ons and bonuses increasing his £115,000 per week basic.

Paying Rice £200,000 per week will undoubtedly get the backs up of some of his team mates and their representatives.

Agents often try to enforce parity clauses causing clubs to match their client’s wages to the club’s highest earners.

Re-negotiations of contracts for the current players will out undoubtingly use the £200,000 per week as a reference point or even a bench mark.

Incoming players will also want parity if  it known West Ham’s captain is on £800,000 per month and agents will fight to get as close to that figure as possible.

There could be a massive domino effect with the current team and future signings all wanting massive pay rises.

There are a number of big clubs with strict wage structures and they tend to avoid these issues as everyone knows where they are, the Hammers look like they are about to thread into dangerous territory which would cause their £130m per year wage bill to soar.