Aston Villa players, coaches agree to take 25 per cent pay cut for 4 months

Aston Villa players will take a 25 per cent pay cut to help the English Premier League club during the coronavirus outbreak.

“First-team players, first-team coaches and senior management have all agreed to defer 25 per cent of their salaries for four months to assist the club during this period of uncertainty with a further review taking place at the end of this period,” club chief executive Christian Purslow said in a statement.

It was also announced that a National Health Service trust is to offer maternity care at Villa’s home ground in Birmingham following the success of a similar tie-up with nearby West Bromwich Albion.

The Sandwell and West Birmingham Trust said Villa Park’s North Stand would host weekday clinics for expectant mothers and new parents from Monday.

Earlier, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and his players agreed to reduce pay by 12.5 per cent on Monday for the next year to help their club deal with the financial impact of the coronavirus.

No games have been played in the English Premier League for six weeks and the competition is not likely to resume until at least June due to the national lockdown and social distancing.