Finance expert warns this major issue facing League One clubs should have Sunderland’s out-of-contract players fearing for their futures

That's the verdict of one of football’s leading finance experts and Price of Football author Kieran Maguire, who has outlined the brutal reality facing those Sunderland players in the final months of their contracts.

Third and fourth-tier clubs voted in favour of ‘Squad Salary Caps’ last August - much to the displeasure of Sunderland – who openly voted against it.

It was agreed to bring in a £2.5million per-year wage restriction, a colossal decrease on the Wearsiders’ previous wage bill, which stood at around £10million before the start of last season, though there is a grace period for clubs.

So for example, any players who signed contracts before the salary cap was voted in during the early weeks of August saw their wages counted at the League One average of around £91,000 per year for the 2020/21 season.

The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) criticised the EFL for "rushing through" the vote.

Staying within budget will undoubtedly have a significant impact at the Stadium of Light this summer with a staggering 19 players out-of-contract.

Lee Johnson will have to box clever when deciding what players to retain, which could ultimately be dictated by the Black Cats’ severely restricted wage budget.

Indeed, with Championship clubs set to reject an £18million salary cap, promotion to the second-tier would erase those restrictions, however that is in the balance with Johnson’s men ninth in League One, nine points off the top two.

Here are the Sunderland players out-of-contract this summer:

Over 21: Lee Burge, Remi Matthews, Luke O’Nien, Conor McLaughlin, Jordan Willis, Denver Hume, Max Power, Josh Scowen, Grant Leadbitter, Aiden McGeady, Chris Maguire, Charlie Wyke, Danny Graham and Callum McFadzean.

Under 21*: Anthony Patterson, Brandon Taylor, Elliot Embleton, Jack Diamond and Benjamin Kimpioka.

*aged under 21 on January 1, 2021 will not count towards the squad or salary caps next season.

Maguire, also a Senior Teacher in Accountancy at the University of Liverpool, explained exactly how the salary cap could impact those out-of-contract players at Sunderland and across League One.

He told The Echo: “Sunderland are still attractive to those players who are coming out of contract.

“You’ve also got to ask yourself, where else are those players going to go? Because unless a Championship club comes in for them, then they’ve only got League One and Two to look at.

"Do you actually want to uproot your family just for the sheer hell of it if Sunderland come back and offer around £120,000-£130,000-a-year - that would appear to be the broad wage limit. I know it’s a squad limit rather than a player limit.

“I think the other issue for those players if they are coming out of contract, if they’re 27, 28 or 29 etc, I’d be absolutely breaking myself.

“Under salary cap rules, under-21 players don’t seem to count towards it, therefore the owners and managers might be saying ‘well we could offer a bit more money to younger players coming in’ who they could potentially sell on.

“The under-21s don’t count, so an experienced player coming out of contract is in an absolutely terrible position.

"He might find himself unwanted or having to take an absolutely huge pay cut to ultimately keep in employment.”

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