Hearts and Hibs could benefit as English players eye move to Scotland after coronavirus crisis

Scotland’s football clubs can expect a gradual stream of players willing to migrate north from England as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

However many teams inhabit each Ladbrokes league next season - be it 10, 12, 14 or more - they are certain to have a wider pool to choose from should they covet new signings.

The English Championship, League One and League Two contain a vast number of clubs needing to release players to save money, and Scottish football is being alerted to their availability.

England’s bottom two tiers are unlikely to finish season 2019/20, with the Championship still on pause.

Teams in all three divisions would rely on players agreeing to stay beyond the expiry of their contracts in order to complete the campaign in July. Many are reluctant to do so given they know they will be freed thereafter.

Regulars in reputable Championship sides can expect to earn several thousand pounds a week more than counterparts in Scotland’s top flight. However, a portion of them are willing to consider a salary drop in exchange for contractual security north of the Border.

Players due out of contract at the end of June are already exploring possibilities in the SPFL as they fear being cast aside amid football’s financial crisis. They are eyeing Scotland as a possible destination with so many avenues in England likely to be closed off whilst clubs struggle.

That will increase the size of the player pool available to teams like Hearts, Hibs, Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Motherwell and others. Of course, the flip side of the situation is that clubs’ finances in Scotland may not allow for many new recruits, be they from down south or elsewhere.

Hibs have promised not to sign anyone until existing players at Easter Road are reimbursed following wage deferrals. On the other side of Edinburgh, Hearts have imposed pay cuts to mitigate the impact of lost revenue while matches are suspended.

The potential filtering of English-based talent into the Scottish game would certainly have a knock-on effect on players already in place here.

Many SPFL sides are also battling to survive without vital gate income. They will be releasing some established names of their own this summer.

Squad sizes will be trimmed, particularly until there is a clear indication of when it might be safe to resume football fixtures.

English Championship stars who perhaps otherwise wouldn’t contemplate a spell in the SPFL would nonetheless attempt to earn a deal of some sort - if given an opportunity to prove their talent is superior to what is already here.

They are aware that a lower wage, even by as much as several thousand pounds a week, is unavoidable. It may be one of few options as a consequence of the extreme financial situation.

Due to the bleak circumstances brought by the global pandemic, free agents know secure contracts will be at a premium in any league. Clubs in England have already begun implementing cost-saving measures and more will follow suit in the weeks and months ahead.

As an example of the unprecedented situation, Luton Town have terminated the contracts of their entire management team - head coach Graeme Jones, assistant Gary Brabin, coach Inigo Idiakez and goalkeeping coach Imanol Etxeberria.

The club say they won’t be considering applications for the vacancies until there is a clear indication of when matches can restart.

Other teams in the Championship, where players can comfortably earn £10,000 per week or more, are looking to offload some of their higher earning players to stay afloat.

The comparative riches in the Premier League mean the exodus there will be smaller. The former England internationalist Gary Neville (left) recently spoke of a huge number of footballers emerging as free agents from the English Football League.

“There is a serious problem brewing in the next few months. Over 1000 players in the Championship, League One and League Two are out of contract at the end of June and clubs haven’t got the money to recycle them back into the game,” said Neville.

The former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan (below) shares the concern.
“If my theory is in some respects bordering on half-correct, then I think 70 to 80 per cent of clubs in this country could very easily go bust,” he declared on Talksport.

“We could have a real meltdown. They would come back as different guys. But as they sit today, because of the model of football, because of the way it’s been allowed to get out of control and because of the climate we’ve got now, in that players are not involved themselves in any kind of solution, that’s the way it is.”

England’s Premier League is discussing how and when to restart matches with some clubs back training in small groups. Yet the EFL remains in limbo, as do many players across its three divisions.

Some are viewing Scotland as a potential solution to their predicament as they look ahead to a summer of scrambling for a contract.