Player Contract Watch

[14Henry]

I read somewhere that Ramsdale’s on £30k a week? Bumper contract makes sense.

I don’t agree with the “give Saliba, Saka and Martinelli what they want” rhetoric, that’s the attitude that led us to problems in the past. Club comes first, and every player is expendable, you have to do things in the right way.

You do, but what you can't do is play hard ball on an extra 30-40k a week, and watch your best players leave, only to replace them with a much bigger financial outlay.

Obviously I am not saying give them 300k if that's what they want. But to expect players like Martinelli, Saliba, and Saka sign a new 4-5 year contract on 100k is idiotic. I think most feel around the 150k mark is about right.

However if you look at what other players are getting how can you give Saka 150k when Pulisic is on that at Chelsea and picking splinters out of his ass. And before someone says it about Pulisic was a big signing that is irrelevant to Saka etc. What is relevant is what is happening on the pitch.

Bowens on 100k a week at West Ham and wasn't in the England squad. Saka has every right to use that in his negotiations. Fs Eddie's on close to 100k a week.

If 200k a week each secures Saka, Saliba and Martinelli are Arsenal players for the next 3-4 years you get it done. You don't play hard ball over 30 or 40k a week and risk losing a hugely valuable asset both if we want to keep them or sell them down the line. There's a fine line between given a player too much and giving them what they are valued in the current football world.

This is nothing like handing an aging Özil a fat contract or a 31 year old Auba and being stuck with them on 300k a week. At 200k a week there's still room for them to improve their contract to 250k in a few years then up to 300k if they are at elite level year on year out and winning us trophies. Or sell them to a Real for big money.

We are also negotiating from a position of weakness as we are not an established CL club anymore, nor a title winning contenter (until this year). You have to overpay abit when you aren't delivering as a club on the pitch.

 

[BergMan]

You do, but what you can't do is play hard ball on an extra 30-40k a week, and watch your best players leave, only to replace them with a much bigger financial outlay.

Obviously I am not saying give them 300k if that's what they want. But to expect players like Martinelli, Saliba, and Saka sign a new 4-5 year contract on 100k is idiotic. I think most feel around the 150k mark is about right. However if you look at what other players are getting how can you give Saka 150k when Pulisic is on that at Chelsea and picking splinters out of his ass. And before someone says it about Pulisic was a big signing that is irrelevant to Saka etc. What is relevant is what is happening on the pitch.

If 200k a week each secures Saka, Saliba and Martinelli are Arsenal players for the next 3-4 years you get it done. You don't play hard ball over 30 or 40k a week and risk losing a hugely valuable asset both if we want to keep them or sell them down the line.

There’s a big difference between £150k and £200k. These players have agents who will attempt to squeeze out every penny they can. The club must be the one setting the standard not the agent. It’s up to the club to decide. Not having standards is what led to players like Laca Özil and Auba leeching sums like £350k a week. Saliba for example hasn’t shown any reason why he deserves to be on more than 100k a week. He’s only been playing regular for Arsenal for 4 months.
If players refuse contracts then the club reserves the right to sell players and to try and get a big fee for them. They can all be replaced.

 

[14Henry]

There’s a big difference between £150k and £200k. These players have agents who will attempt to squeeze out every penny they can. The club must be the one setting the standard not the agent. It’s up to the club to decide. Not having standards is what led to players like Laca Özil and Auba leeching sums like £350k a week. Saliba for example hasn’t shown any reason why he deserves to be on more than 100k a week. He’s only been playing regular for Arsenal for 4 months.
If players refuse contracts then the club reserves the right to sell players and to try and get a big fee for them. They can all be replaced.

On a 4 year contract 150k to 200k the difference is about £10m. That is nothing in football given inflation of transfer fees. You literally couldn't get Vestergard that big tree of a defender from Leicester for about 10m these days.

The problem we have with Saliba was what happened before. Ideally you negotiate with him when he has 2 years on his contract. Not 1. So we are in a weak position. That's on Arteta and Edu. So maybe the only way they fix it is having to overpay.

Maybe Saliba and his agent would be happy enough with 150k a week but you couldn't blame them for trying for 200k as he would get that at his next club especially given that a top club could get him cheap this summer.

 

[Batman]

I read somewhere that Ramsdale’s on £30k a week? Bumper contract makes sense.

I don’t agree with the “give Saliba, Saka and Martinelli what they want” rhetoric, that’s the attitude that led us to problems in the past. Club comes first, and every player is expendable, you have to do things in the right way.

Except that to sign a player of Saliba's quality (if there even is one) who may or may not fit in as well as he does will cost you in excess of 100M and wages just as high. So I guess the question is whether you'd like to get worse defensively and then pay a transfer fee that exceeds the wage increase, stay about on par defensively and then pay a transfer fee and wages that blow his wage demands out of the water or keep the player who fits us like a glove and act like a big club with a super rich owner who can well afford to pay him. Seems fairly common sense that we need to push the boat out ot keep him if necessary because any replacement will end up being more expensive and likely not as good. That's putting the team first since we are allegedly about results.

 

[Bucephalus]

Sign me up for Saka, Martinelli and Saliba all getting 200k, and doing a joint press conference over it. I think it's close to fair value for all. But yeah, the club needs to be careful, too, or the whole wage structure gets out of whack, and we spend several years undoing it. Özil contract and Alexis ask didn't age well. But at least they were plausibly elite. The wages we paid Kolasinac and Soares (for example) were absurd, and it's taken seriously good work from the club to dig out from that hole. So what I'm saying is, pay the kids, but be careful? Glad it's not my job!

 

[Riou]

They can all replaced.

That would cost even more money, ffs

 

[BergMan]

That would cost even more money, ffs

If Saliba is as good as people say we can get £100m for him.

 

[14Henry]

If Saliba is as good as people say we can get £100m for him.

Not with 1 year on his contract. 20-30m max.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

If Saliba is as good as people say we can get £100m for him.

All our talent must stay until 2027 at least can't lose them now they elite and replacing them will probably cost us 10x what we paid to buy them

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Where is this guys best position? Because although his quality his undeniable I can't quite pinpoint where he'd fit in our current system, in any role he seems years off challenging.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Where is this guys best position? Because although his quality his undeniable I can't quite pinpoint where he'd fit in our current system, in any role he seems years off challenging.

I think as number 8 its his best position

 

[GoonerJeeves]

Where is this guys best position? Because although his quality his undeniable I can't quite pinpoint where he'd fit in our current system, in any role he seems years off challenging.

The games I've seen him play for Blackpool, he's been an 8, though he's dropped quite deep in some of their games. He's almost been like a deep playmaker.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

The games I've seen him play for Blackpool, he's been an 8, though he's dropped quite deep in some of their games, almost been like a deep playmaker.

That's what I see, more of a player who'd play as a DLP alongside a defensive midfielder. In our system tho I don't see him replicating Xhaka's role (from what I've seen, I could be wrong) and I also don't think he's got the tools or defensive profile for a lone 6 role either. Hence why I'm wondering if it's in his best interest to remain here, I don't doubt he's a serious talent but to me he seems such a long way off ever being a first team player here.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

If patino don't make it here and thats pretty early to tell until we see him play here then at least we surely gonna get good fee from him.

 

[14Henry]

All this system talk. He doesn't fit our system this, he won't fit our systems that. Systems change. Players change and adapt. Good players can learn various new systems over their careers.

 

[Sparrahork]

I find it odd that fan favourites are having their potential wages questioned as being too high, yet other posts on here seem happy to give atletico Madrid 8m for 5/6 months of Felix, then prob his wages on top!

Saliba, Saka and martinelli deserve big contracts, hopefully with arsenal

 

[Melquiades]

Sign me up for Saka, Martinelli and Saliba all getting 200k, and doing a joint press conference over it. I think it's close to fair value for all. But yeah, the club needs to be careful, too, or the whole wage structure gets out of whack, and we spend several years undoing it. Özil contract and Alexis ask didn't age well. But at least they were plausibly elite. The wages we paid Kolasinac and Soares (for example) were absurd, and it's taken seriously good work from the club to dig out from that hole. So what I'm saying is, pay the kids, but be careful? Glad it's not my job!

If you play top younger players big wages for what they’re going to do it generally turns out well.

When you pay 30 year olds massive wages for what they used to do, that’s when you’re creating a massive mess.

 

[Tomb Bombadil]

We should have given them a new contract last year already. But on the other hand we saved that they are playing on a lower salary for a year but bites you back now.

200k for Saka
120-150k for Martinelli
100-120k for Saliba

Would be fair compared to our other players, but I guess we have to pay a bit more.

 

[A_G]