PAUL Groves insisted his players earned what they deserved after suggestions a gulf in wages had caused a rift in the squad.

Cherries manager Groves gave his verdict on the topic when quizzed over claims that a disparity in salaries had been an issue in the club’s ranks last term.

Daily Echo sources suggest Cherries’ top earner commanded a weekly wage of £1,500 at the start of the 2011-12 season.

That figure has apparently jumped to around £4,000 since the arrival of co-owner Maxim Demin – with the Dorset outfit demonstrating an ambition to reach the Championship.

But rumours claim that some members of the Cherries squad became disgruntled at the difference in pay last term as recent recruits were handed lucrative deals, believed to be worth more than double the previous limit.

Groves admitted that earnings were now a more public subject and that a gulf in wages existed at every club.

But he insists Cherries’ players will earn what they are worth.

When asked whether pay can cause problems, he told the Daily Echo: “I suppose that depends on the individual. If you want to harp back to my day, I suppose players tended to keep their salaries closer to their chests.

“I understand that football has changed with regards to the mediums that people have and, maybe, society has changed with players or personnel being prepared to talk about their wages.

“Agents speak to other agents, whether it be within their own company or others, and make more readily available the salaries that players are perhaps commanding at a club.

“But I think in any club there is a hierarchy in terms of pay structures and what players command and that comes from the level of strength they have when it comes to sitting down and negotiating.

“Where you get your strength from is from what you actually do on the pitch – whether it is making assists, goals, putting in good performances or training on a regular basis so that you are consistent.

“It is also about being a top professional in the way you handle yourself on and off the pitch.”

Cherries’ summer transfer dealings have seen the arrival of Josh McQuoid and Frank Demouge, with both believed to have commanded big wages, while recent departure Shaun Cooper was understood to have been offered reduced terms after his contract expired last month.

Groves added: “When we have sat down and negotiated with players, we have stressed that there is a wage structure in place and we don’t want to break it.

“When you go to any clubs, people sit down and negotiate their contracts at the time that they do.

“When you negotiate a contract, invariably it is on the back of what you have produced on the pitch and so therein lies your position to negotiate. Every player will have his worth.”