Be ready for pay cut: Hearts warns Ikpeazu, teammates

Nigeria born Heart of Midlothian forward Uche Ikpeazu has been told to be ready to accept pay cut alongside teammates as the club battles finances under global lockdown.

The former Cambridge United ace joined Hearts in 2018 and has since made over 40 appearances for the side with five goals to his credit. Twenty five year old Ikpeazu who opted for maternal home Uganda as opposed to playing for Nigeria, would have been showcasing his skills for the Cranes of Uganda in the 2021 Nations cup qualifiers which unfortunately have been put in the cooler no thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ikpeazu who has impressed in over seven different clubs he played for, was invited to the Cranes camp by British head Coach Johnny McKinstry.  Ikpeazu is born to a Nigerian father and a Ugandan mother. Hearts owner Ann Budge who told the players the development regarding their take home added that there are only two alternatives, that the players receive pay cuts or receive no money at all while football is on lockdown.

“I wish there was an option other than a temporary wage cut but after careful consideration it is the only way for the club to proceed with financial certainty,” “I remain hopeful that the players will accept for the reasons outlined above, as the only viable alternative is that their contracts remain suspended under Clause 12 of the standard SPFL contract which means that they will not receive any wages during the period of suspension. “She said

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There are strong indications that the players will accept the offer even as Skipper Steven Naismith offered to take a 50 per cent wage cut more than a month ago and manager Daniel Stendel is working for free for now.