Premier League agenda as all 20 clubs prepare for meeting that will define season

by

Premier League clubs will hold crunch talks on Thursday over a huge TV headache.

They face having to pay back £340million to broadcasters even if they finish the season and a staggering £762m if they cannot complete the 92 fixtures.

Premier League bosses are hoping to offset the huge potential costs with Sky, BT Sport and Amazon with a “strategy for rebate minimisation” and “enhancements” to the current broadcasting package.

That would mean more games, showing back-to-back games at weekends, Champions League style double headers in midweek plus discussions on dressing room access, half time interviews and extra camera angles in empty stadiums.

It is likely to be the most important item on the agenda for Thursday’s crunch meeting with the 20 clubs.

They will also look to set a return date with the Premier League originally wanting June 12 with managers pushing for June 26.

https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article21993382.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_FILES-BRITAIN-HEALTH-VIRUS-ENG-PL.jpg
The Premier League is set to return behind closed doors next month (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

They could compromise on the weekend of June 20-21 with Sky set to show Tottenham's clash with Manchester United as their first live game back which could be on Friday June 19 - otherwise they will try to keep Fridays clear for the EFL.

The agenda, which has been seen by Mirror Sport , will also discuss stadiums with the Premier League hopeful games will be staged in their own stadiums but neutral grounds are still on the table.

https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article22094154.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Tottenham-Hotspur-Training-Session.jpg
Mourinho taking on Man Utd could be Sky's first offering (Image: Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I)

Clubs are braced for the most important meeting in Premier League history.

The video session starts at 10.30am and is expected to drag out long into the afternoon with a back-up plan also on the agenda in case the season is curtailed.

The restart date is still a sticking point even after the clubs unanimously voted through phase two of contact training.

They fear that, after such a long lay-off, they will need more time to get match fit.

Former England and Chelsea physio Dave Hancock told Mirror Sport: “With such a small window to do this training 3 weeks is not enough.

"The big concern here will be soft tissue injuries, hamstring, groin, calf and quads injuries.

“A normal pre season takes six or seven weeks and most clubs will continue extra training at the start of the season to bring the athletes to a more resilient state, reducing their chances of injury for the upcoming season.

“The ability to make them resilient and reduce injury rates will be lost and thus each club will be walking a tightrope of how much to push a player knowing what games they have coming up very in a very small window of time.”

Sign up to the Mirror Football email here for the latest news and transfer gossip.