Thomas: Salary cap will not impact Cobblers

The newly-introduced League One salary cap will have no impact on the Cobblers, according to chairman Kelvin Thomas.

EFL clubs voted for a limit of £2.5m in League One and £1.5m for League Two as a protective measure to stop clubs spending beyond their means and going out of business.

Wages, bonuses, taxes and image rights, plus agents' and other relevant fees, will be included within the cap but bonuses gained from promotion or progression in cups will be exempt.

"In terms of financial management and sustainability, as a league we had to do something," said Thomas. "This is not an overnight decision, this is something that has been discussed by the EFL since the start of the year.

"It's been accelerated due to COVID but something would have come in anyway, although I don't think what's been put into place is exactly right and there will be some amendments over the next few years.

"But we had to do something and I'm a big believer in sanctions and ensuring that if people do break the rules, certainly if wages are not being paid, there needs to be stricter sanctions in our opinion.

"But the cap should help towards the sustainability of clubs and it will be interesting to see the impact it has on that. Hopefully it has a positive impact.

"It's not perfect and for us, going into League One, we will be below the salary cap, that's for certain, so it won't impact us."

While the cap will not change Northampton's plans, other clubs in League One are not so happy.

Thomas added: "As a league, we've had to ask the government and Premier League for financial help so I think we had to do something to ensure we have our own house in order, even if it wasn't ideal.

"It's a very complicated issue, particularly in League One due to the different sizes of clubs in the league. I know from speaking to different chairman around the country, clubs like Portsmouth and Sunderland have been quite vocal in their opposition.

"There are some really good things in there but it's something that will develop over time, hopefully."