Misfit Ginola cost Everton a fortune

Adrian Curtis13 April 2012

The money madness of the Premiership is today further exposed by Everton's decision to give former Tottenham winger David Ginola a free transfer.

The Frenchman's three-month stay on Merseyside earned him a £1,000-aminute payout for his seven appearances for the Toffees. Ginola was paid £27,000-a-week by Everton with the remainder of his £40,000 weekly wage shelled out by former club Aston Villa.

The deal underlines the financial waste permeating through the game at the top level, and comes at time when most clubs in the Nationwide are fighting for survival following the collapse of the ITV Digital deal.

Ginola played just 319 minutes of first-team football for Everton - completing only two full games against Arsenal on his debut at Goodison Park and Crewe in the FA Cup. Two of his other starts, against Crewe in an FA Cup replay and Liverpool, ended at half-time, while he made three more substitute appearances totalling 49 minutes.

Ginola's once-sleek figure has disappeared under an expanding waistline, making him an expensive luxury for English clubs now being forced to slash their wage bills following the Digital disaster. His grand-a-minute Everton career will give Europe's most powerful clubs even more incentive to drive through a plans for a salary cap.

The G14 group, which includes Liverpool and Manchester United, want to introduce proposals to regulate ever- increasing wage demands and transfer fees that threaten to put clubs out of business.

The group's meeting in Glasgow before last night's Champions League final at Hampden Park saw them agree in principle to introduce a salary cap that would limit clubs to spending a percentage of their income on players' salaries. G14 group general manager Thomas Kurth said: "The first idea is that the amount available for expenditure will be limited ratio-wise. That means a certain percentage only of the money available should be spent on salaries. We've agreed on the principle; we're now looking at the details.

"This concept should be applicable to those who have financial problems - those who are in the black do not need us to regulate them. It's a maximum percentage of the money available which should be spent on players' costs. At this stage Manchester United are far underneath this limit."

Ginola, who turned down a loan move to West Brom during his time at Everton, is still intending to pursue his career in Britain instead of retiring. Celtic manager Martin O'Neill is ready to offer him a one-year deal.

Ginola said: "I am looking forward to settling down in the summer and considering all my options."

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