Why Mark Catlin fears losing power to keep Portsmouth prized assets under salary cap plans

That’s the sobering message from Mark Catlin, who points to Alex Bass and Ronan Curtis as prime examples of the necessity to be financially flexible.

Alex Bass signed a three-and-a-half year deal in January, while the following month Curtis also penned a three-and-a-half year contract.

Those agreements boosted the salary of the highly-regarded pair, while tying them to Fratton Park until the summer of 2023, putting Pompey in a strong position in any transfer scenario.

Incidentally, this summer has seen Bass emerge as a target for Crystal Palace, while Curtis is being monitored by Brentford as a potential replacement for Said Benrahma.

Yet the Blues’ chief executive is adamant a salary cap would hinder clubs retaining such shining lights.

Catlin told The News: ‘This year we have extended the contracts of brilliant and promising youngsters.

‘Given the salary cap, there is no way we could have extended their current deals if that was in place at the time. The deals of two of our biggest assets wouldn’t have happened.

‘We were only able to do it because of the improved contracts we could offer. You cannot go to a player and offer reduced terms to extend. It is absolute madness.

‘I am 100 per cent sure that if we had approached Ronan Curtis and Alex Bass offering the League One average salary, there would have been no incentive for them to sign.

‘You are going to arrive at a crazy situation where to extend a player’s contract, you offer them less money than they’re already on!

‘If we’ve paid a transfer fee for a player and, as a round figure, they are on £3,000 a week and into the second year of a three-year deal.

‘You want to protect that asset and give them a pay rise, adding years on, as has been done with Curtis and Bass this year.

‘However, if you are using the salary cap average, how are you able to get them to extend? How will you keep them to improve our position as a club?

‘Players will always be attracted by the Championship. The way we’ve managed to maximise transfer fees is by giving extended contracts and doubling their salaries.

‘If you are prevented from doing that then you’re going to be forced to sell them earlier.’

It is understood the League One average salary has been set at £1,300, according to recent calculations.

Pompey’s 2019-20 wage bill totalled around £4m a year, which represents an increase on the previous campaign.

Catlin added: ‘That is an absolutely ridiculous situation to be in.

‘We're in danger of losing players to Europe and Scotland, who don’t have caps.

‘Crazily enough, where we have taken players from Ireland, under these salary cap proposals the players could now be going back the other way.’

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