Cagliari president Massimo Cellino admits his wage bill is weighing them down.

The patron is notorious for his itchy trigger-finger, as he fired Roberto Donadoni in mid-August, then sacked replacement Massimo Ficcadenti to bring in Davide Ballardini this week.

"I have three Coaches under contract: Donadoni, Ficcadenti and Ballardini," he told Unione Sarda.

"Fortunately, over time I put some funds aside for a rainy day, so this is an expense Cagliari can sustain, albeit with difficulty.

"My decisions were necessary, though. In order to seek that step up in quality, I had to also improve the wages of my players."