Benji Kimpioka will be BANNED from Sunderland first team if he doesn't sign new deal plus Denver Hume contract update please log in to view this image Benji Kimpioka has been offered a new deal at Sunderland. JOE NICHOLSON Sunderland owner Stewart Donald has told Jack Ross not to play striker Benji Kimpioka, or any of the club's youth players, if they don't sign new deals. Kimpioka, 19, is one of three players who have been offered a new contract at the Stadium of Light, along with defender Denver Hume and midfielder Elliot Embleton, who has been playing on loan at Grimsby this season. Hume, who has broken into the first team this campaign, and Embleton will both see their current contracts expire at the end of the season - but Donald is hopeful the pair will put pen to paper soon. Speaking to the Roker Rapport podcast, Donald said: "They've all been offered contracts, we've got verbal agreements that they'll sign, then the details have changed. The yes I'll sign has gone to the detail could change please. "Like all the fans I'm the same, we lost Josh, we don't want to lose any of these three lads, we've given them contract offers, they're decent offers and we've said if there's anything not where it quite needs to be we'll try and iron it out and get it done. "My instinct is that Denver and Elliot, I'd very much hope that they would sign and sign quickly." A deal for Kimpioka, who has impressed for the first team in the Checkatrade Trophy this season, could prove trickier though, with Donald keen to avoid a similar situation which led to Josh Maja's departure in January. With that in mind, the Sunderland owner has a strong message for the club's youth players who are not willing to sign new deals. "Benji Kimpioka, we've put a deal to him, his agent is more difficult but I've had a very straight forward conversation, which is a conversation that I've had with the entire staff," added Donald. "In Denver and Elliot's case this is a contract renewal, therefore they sign and they want to be here or they don't - but I hope that they will. "With Benji he's already got a contract and another year to run and I don't want another Josh Maja scenario at this football club. "If he got into the first team and January comes along and he'd done well like Josh had done, he's got six months left on his contract, we'd expose ourselves again having promoted him. "I've said with Benji, and a couple of others who have got one year left, that they need to commit their future to the football club. please log in to view this image Stewart Donald reveals Stadium of Light naming rights latest and confirms no plans to change club badge "I've said to Jack (Ross) and I've said to the staff, if they don't commit you're not allowed to play them, I don't want players who won't commit their future if we feel we are being fair with them with regards to the offers. Donald was also quizzed on the future of Lamine Kone, who remains a Sunderland player despite being out on loan at French side Strasbourg. The Sunderland owner doesn't expect the defender to return to Wearside at the end of the season though. "The club he's at have got an option which they can exercise if they want to keep him for a fee, we believe that is likely," said Donald. "If that doesn't happen based on what we're being told and how we feel, I think he'll find another club, I'd be amazed if you see Lamine back here in a Sunderland shirt. "To be fair to him he came here, he trained and he was honourable, I've got no issue with him. "I think just with his stage of life he wants to go back and play in France."
Difficult this one for Donald or any club owners these days of agents flashing £££ signs in front of these kids. he tried with Maja saying he had a week to sign and that backfired, so I don't know what the answer is in sorting out contracts. it's swung from clubs being all powerful to agents having the upper hand, would be good to get these lads signed up but there are no guarantees unfortunately.
Unless these issues are sorted out fairly, the Colbacks and Majas of this world are milking the system and it has to be changed, full marks to SD for trying, he has to succeed, otherwise whats the point of an academy .
This is the sad part of football these days. Young players get half a sniff of the first team and they want the world, bling and all the things that smacks of how great I am with my head up my own arse because I'm the dogs bollocks. Totally on board with Stewie....if Benji wants elsewhere to join the Maja's, Asoro....just say bye, bye.
Firstly, I'm uneasy when owners start telling The Manager who he can't pick. Thin end of the wedge? Then the practicalities of it all, using Maja as an example. Had this rule applied at the start of this Season, Maja wouldn't have played in the First Team. It seems highly likely he would have continued to want away, if only out of frustration. Any fee would have been significantly less than the eventual deal and of course we wouldn't have benefited from his goals. Smacks of 'cutting your nose off to spite your face'. It's the rule about contracts for young players that's at fault. THE clubs emphasis should be on lobbying to have this changed. Plenty of other Clubs will agree. It's too easy to blame the Agents all the time, (much as I too dislike Agents). They are employed to get the best deal for their clients. Their clients, NOT SAFC, should come first.
Nothing wrong with wanting a commitment from youth players. If a youth player leaves we get a fee. If a first-teamer goes we may not. I'm 100% with SD telling these ****wit agents to do one and they can take their greedy clients with them, if all they want is a fast buck. We're a big club down on its luck and that's a bloody good place for a young player to be. Scope for advancement and scope for development if we achieve promotion(s). Win-win, so why **** it up?
Does this mean Stewy is meddling in Jack's affairs? I'm guessing Ross is on board with it but it does come across like Donald is getting involved where he probably shouldn't. I think he talks about the situation on the new podcast but I only managed the first 20 mins of it this morning on the way to work.
Thing is the “owner getting involved” is normally when an owner is telling a manager he should pick x y or z. Very rarely about the background politics caused by agents and players unwilling to sign. This is completely different to that imo
How is it? Regardless of the reasons why Donald has still said x y and z can't play until they have signed a new contract. That is telling the manager he can or can't do something. I get the sentiment because we definitely don't want another Maja situation, just not sure he should be going public with it IMO.
We are in a promotion run-in which is going right to the wire. However, you can not pick these players who will undoubtedly benefit us in trying to grab that 2nd spot. **** off, Stewie.
I understand what he's trying to do but it could be detrimental in the short term by limiting the players that are available and detrimental in the long term as some young players might consider it draconian making us less attractive to young players at the very beginning of their careers.
Disagree totally mate. Benji has looked quick and like he may be useful but hasn’t made any difference to a league game in the grand scheme. I like the look of the lad but pinning a game on a 19 year old is crazy. Jack Ross seems on side with it too. Of course the sensationalist headline doesn’t explain everything. It could be that, once the season is over, he doesn’t play unless he signs? Only the manager and owner know for certain
Benji is one of the 3. You would be happy if Hume was told, for argument sake, that he couldn't play again this season unless he done what he was told and signed the contract in front of him? I understand the reasoning behind what SD is doing. He made it perfectly clear after the Maja fiasco that we lost out and need to protect ourselves. I'm not sure anybody would have an issue with that. It's the execution of it which is causing supporters to have concerns.
