Jon Wilkin questions new Salford owners’ financial power as Red Devils’ players hailed

Jon Wilkin has called into question whether Salford’s new owners will actually pay the club’s staff the money they’re owed, while hailing the players who will take to the field against Castleford Tigers as ‘remarkable’.

The Swiss consortium that took the club over last month are still yet to pay players and staff their February wages.

Six days on from when payments should have been received, bank checks are still ongoing due to the amount of money being transferred from the consortium to the club to cover costs, if reports are to be believed.

As a result of the delay, Salford have been placed back under special measures by the RFL.

Jon Wilkin questions new Salford owners’ financial power as Red Devils’ players hailed

Special dispensation has been received for head coach Paul Rowley to put some senior men into his squad to take on Castleford Tigers on Friday evening.

Speaking on The Verdict, Sky Sports pundit Wilkin said: “It’s just a mess, the optics of it are bad.

“They started the year skint, they had no cash, and they needed to get bailed out by the game.

“New ownership has come in and said they’d sort out the historical debts, send them money, and that money’s not shown up for one reason or another.

“There are two sides to it. One is that the money’s coming, there’s been proof that the money is in the account and on the way, so it is a case of regulatory checks that will happen if you’re sending £1.9 million.

“The other side of that is… is it actually coming? The dog can only eat your homework so many times.

“I think, just for the optics of it, the new ownership need to get that money there ASAP.”

‘I don’t think I’d step foot on a rugby field unless I was being paid – it’s too dangerous’

The Red Devils’ squad for their trip to The Jungle contains just 17 men, coming on the back of a week in which training hasn’t taken place and players threatened to not play at all until they had been paid.

Hailing the 17, Wilkin added: “I think it’s remarkable that Salford, who haven’t trained all week, they haven’t been paid and haven’t really got any information as to when the money’s coming, but they’re going to play a game.

“I think that’s remarkable that they’ve managed to get a squad that’s willing to go out there.

“I’m not sure I would (play), I don’t think I’d step foot on a rugby field unless I was being paid – it’s too dangerous.”