Contracts

DanClancy · May 27, 2022

Is it my imagination or are more players running down their contracts this season then previously?

Certainly more high profile players have done it this season then I can remember, looks like next summer will be no different. Salah & Mane both have 12 months to run and there probably not the only ones.

Solius · May 27, 2022

Yep there's definitely been a big swing towards player power in the last few years.

Corridor of Uncertainty · May 27, 2022

They're all after that big juicy signing on fee.

Jericho · May 27, 2022

They know the money is there, they'd rather it went into their contracts than the transfer fee. Makes sense.

Also transfer fees have gotten so ridiculous that clubs seem to be less willing to pay them. When your clubs wants upwards of 100 million for you, sometimes the only way to get the move you want is to run the contract down.

Bestie07 · May 27, 2022

Clubs refuse to sell important players for anything less than exorbitant amounts so the players that want to move are left with no other option but to run the contract down.

bosnian_red · May 27, 2022

Makes a lot more sense. Either Haaland route of forcing a realistic release clause, or don't sign a stupid long contract if you want to move clubs. Took players way too long to catch on.

facchiano · May 27, 2022

I don't see a problem with this if you're an established player i.e Pogba, Mbappe, Mané, Salah etc. It becomes a problem when a hyped up youth player along with his agent i.e Pogba, decide to go down this route. What happens when you get injured and you have nothing to show for to prospective clubs? If you want stability, sign a contract. If you want wilderness, don't sign a contract.

Tavern in the town · May 27, 2022

It’s excellent. About time players realised their worth.

Damien · May 27, 2022

Think Aaron Ramsey's move to Juventus was the turning point. After that, players saw they could make a lot more money by running down contracts.

It just took a couple of years after that for high profile player contracts to run out - so we've seen Alaba last season and a whole lot more this season.

Oranges038 · May 27, 2022

Every player should have a release clause.

Not the La Liga 1bn release clause, but a reasonable one that reflects the value of their contract, which reflects their actual worth to their current club.

Cheimoon · May 27, 2022

Corridor of Uncertainty said:
They're all after that big juicy signing on fee.

I think they're more after the freedom to choose by getting the wishes of their current club out of their transfer discussions.

WeePat · May 27, 2022

Oranges038 said:
Every player should have a release clause.

Not the La Liga 1bn release clause, but a reasonable one that reflects the value of their contract, which reflects their actual worth to their current club.

Would be fun to see if teams would try and unsettle rival players. City and Liverpool in a title race, January window opens, City pay Fabinho's release clause and offer him triple wages.

awop · May 27, 2022

Oranges038 said:
Every player should have a release clause.

Not the La Liga 1bn release clause, but a reasonable one that reflects the value of their contract, which reflects their actual worth to their current club.

Who decides the value of that clause ? Does it get updated every season ? Every 6 months to prevent a January raid ?

Chairman Steve · May 27, 2022

With the Premier League teams now being so rich that there’s no need for them to sell their players, this is the new way around that.

So prepare yourself for a lot more of this in the coming years.

In 2008, West Ham would have had to have sold Declan Rice at a slightly overpriced figure to avoid financial problems but these days, they can throw out a world record fee so Rice in this example could just run down the contract, leave for free and join a new club on a big feck off sign on fee.

Sandikan · May 27, 2022

Tavern in the town said:
It’s excellent. About time players realised their worth.

What on earth :lol:

Players have had it massively their own way for ages now.

Sandikan · May 27, 2022

Oranges038 said:
Every player should have a release clause.

Not the La Liga 1bn release clause, but a reasonable one that reflects the value of their contract, which reflects their actual worth to their current club.

Nonsense. It just means a City/Newcastle/Next doping club can just come and cherry pick anyone they want.

Tavern in the town · May 27, 2022

Sandikan said:
What on earth

Players have had it massively their own way for ages now.

Not really. Clubs are demanding absolutely ridiculous money for footballers these days. Zaha has effectively wasted his career because he signed a contract with Palace. Kane should be challenging for trophies every season and tried to leave but Levy wanted £200m. West Ham want £150m for Rice when he clearly wants out. This is probably the best way for footballers to move clubs now because clubs are so greedy.

Cloud7 · May 27, 2022

Clubs have brought this upon themselves by demanding obscene transfer fees that make it difficult for players to move. There really isn't any other job in the world where you can want to change jobs but it is dependent on your employer being willing to allow you to leave. You cannot blame the players for finding other ways to get their desired moves.

Oranges038 · May 27, 2022

WeePat said:
Would be fun to see if teams would try and unsettle rival players. City and Liverpool in a title race, January window opens, City pay Fabinho's release clause and offer him triple wages.

"Someones met your release clause. Do you want to go?"

Up to the player then, if they want to go or not.

awop said:
Who decides the value of that clause ? Does it get updated every season ? Every 6 months to prevent a January raid ?

As an idea.

If a player has a contract for 5 years, worth 100k a week, that player's contract is worth about 5m a year and overall, 25m to the club.

So, up to 4 times the value of the contract should be enough as a release clause. Then the at the very most that player would cost is 100m. But that price could decrease as the lifetime of the contract runs down. So after 3 years with 2 years left, the value of the contract is only 10m, so 40m should be the release clause. And so on.

Sandikan said:
Nonsense. It just means a City/Newcastle/Next doping club can just come and cherry pick anyone they want.

They can buy whoever they want anyway, so what difference would it make? They'd just know we only have to offer X amount to get the player and not be dealing with a cnut like Levy who wants 200m for a guy with no ankles.

SungSam7 · May 27, 2022

Imagine paying 350 million on Kane and Rice. Feel we are being pushed towards getting better youth systems or buy in the European markets.
City built a starting 11 with about 600 million. Im just giving a rough estimate

WeePat · May 27, 2022

Oranges038 said:
"Someones met your release clause. Do you want to go?"

Up to the player then, if they want to go or not.

I know how a release clause works mate. I was just wondering out loud if a teams might use these 'reasonable' release clauses to unsettle rival players.

Oranges038 · May 27, 2022

WeePat said:
I know how a release clause works mate. I was just wondering out loud if a teams might use these 'reasonable' release clauses to unsettle rival players.

Aye, I think it might promote a bit more competition for players and prevent teams just hoarding players because they know they just don't have to sell regardless of what's offered.

It's rare for transfers between top clubs anyway. But it might actually promote a bit of player poaching across the board and a make for a more interesting transfer market.

::sonny:: · May 27, 2022

For the future will be only free agent

galwayfa · May 27, 2022

Should the release clause be, the buying price plus a let's say 20% above buying price and that's the maximum it can be, so an 80m pound player has 96m pound buy out clause, a player that leaves on a free has a maximum 100m pound buyout, would a route like that work,

DOTA · May 27, 2022

It's an improvement, for me.

I'd like to see shorter contracts, as well.

I don't like big transfer fees.

SuperiorXI · May 27, 2022

Imagine if it was like a real job where you could "hand your notice in" and move whenever you want. Imagine the chaos.

Based Adnan · May 27, 2022

When you see West Ham asking £150M for Rice then you can see why players are more and more hesitant to sign long term deals. That plus they've realized you can bag far more money for yourself by running your contract down and either signing as a free agent or renewing if the clubs desperate.

Arsene Wenger called this years ago.

Xanther · May 28, 2022

galwayfa said:
Should the release clause be, the buying price plus a let's say 20% above buying price and that's the maximum it can be, so an 80m pound player has 96m pound buy out clause, a player that leaves on a free has a maximum 100m pound buyout, would a route like that work,

Buying price is fluid, not fixed, and totally at the mercy at the seller, so I'm not sure how you then generate hard numbers for a release clause in this way

Unless you mean that this pre-existing buying price is the price they were last bought for? That could maybe work

didz · May 28, 2022

I think we're seeing a knock on effect from the pandemic. Clubs usually go in with renewal offers half way through a contract, with the pay bump on that 2nd half of the deal being an attractive enough proposition to normally be accepted.

Clubs weren't in a rush to renew at the time though, so more players have ended up with less time on their deals, more than likely wanting more money from the clubs to offset the time their salaries weren't raised and ultimately more willing to wait 12 months to negotiate an even bigger deal.

I don't think the trend will continue, as clubs will revert to their standard MO going forward.

babablue · May 28, 2022

I like the idea of every player having a release clause. It should be a fixed formula based on wages and years left. To stop it from being abused, it can only be triggered in the summer window, and only for the first month or so. This will give any club that loses a player they don't want to, time to find a replacement, and ensures it can't happen midseason.

Tyrion · May 28, 2022

DanClancy said:
Is it my imagination or are more players running down their contracts this season then previously?

Certainly more high profile players have done it this season then I can remember, looks like next summer will be no different. Salah & Mane both have 12 months to run and there probably not the only ones.

Could be that clubs have less money due to COVID so can't pay big transfer fees so players need the leverage of a potential free exit to get what they want.

Before Salah and Mane could have played Real, Chelsea and Liverpool off each other for a better deal, now they can't (mostly).

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