City boss realistic as £16m deals loom

Chris Coleman has been talking about the increasing wealth gap between teams relegated from the Premier League and those in the Championship which will be in force next season as £16m parachute payment deals kick in.

Relegated sides are reportedly set to receive money over four years instead of two but the amounts involved will definitely go up as the top-flight continues to bask in big-money TV and sponsorship deals.

While believing that stretching the payments is a ‘sensible’ move designed to stop teams gambling on a quick return, Coleman knows his job will be all the harder next season.

‘If you look now at the Championship play-off final, it’s not a £50m game it’s a £100m game with the knock-on effects of it,’ he said.

‘Even if you win it and go up then you get the money to go up and stay up.

‘But if you come down then it could also be four years now of parachute money, so that game is even bigger.

‘And for the clubs that are going to come down they’ve got longer, they’ve got more money to invest.

‘So it’s frightening, it’s not getting any easier.’

Portsmouth may not be in a position to benefit too much from parachute payments next season but whoever comes down alongside them will surely look to keep a strong squad together as Newcastle have this year and try for an immediate return.

Doncaster chairman John Ryan certainly fears for the future competitive nature of the division.

He told BBC Radio 5 live: ‘What are the Premier League trying to do to the Championship? Make it a bit more like the Premiership where everybody knows who will finish in the top four before the season starts.

‘It’s skewed enough as it is. Look at the table with Newcastle and West Brom at the top. Newcastle’s wage bill is £42m and our’s is £6m.

‘We are competing because we have a great manager, as do Swansea while Nottm Forest have spent a fortune.’