I was always against paying Mo that amount. Regardless of whether or not you think he's earned it, it's set a precedent that will continue to bite us for years to come, imo.
This. Absolutely no chance I'd have given it him and I don't think the club really wanted to either, they just felt they had to in light of Mane's bombshell.
I agree, but was hardly a bombshell. By all accounts he had informed the club a long time ago that he wants to leave in the summer.
He hasn't exactly exploded out of the blocks yet this season has he which will cause some to question the pay rise. As for it biting us, we'll have to wait and see.
Oh it will have with the exception of a few who may see you as a stepping stone. Agent talk when they know you really want their player, you are paying this guy £350k per week my boy is 6 years younger and will be even better. It happens to all clubs once the wage ceiling rises.
Wages go up, we either pay them or fall behind again. Salah is a top player his wage isn't even ludicrous when you look at what other teams pay. If we continue penny pinching it's only a matter of time before we start to fall away.
What will the signs be that it is coming back to bite us? There has been a big disparity between the top earners and those in the next tier for a good while and all has been harmonious. The other aspect of potential players turning us down because of wanting big wages won't happen. Klopp and whoever else decides it, don't want players coming to the club with huge demands. We saw this with Fekir.
To be honest way club and klopp have been over years, if a player is kicking up a fuss over wanting too big a wage club will just say no. Whether think shouldn’t/shouldn’t be paying Salah that kind of money. It’s totally diff to give someone that has won everything at the club, broke every record available and been a goal machine since day 1. Compared to giving it to someone brand new into the club who has done nothing.
Works both ways mate, you are telling a player you really want him and see him as the future because he will fit the team perfectly and has he ability to drive you forward for the next few years then saying "**** no" when he asks top dollar. Some players really want to play for a team because of it's standing but they all have ambitious agents doing the negotiations. Sad but true.
Thing is, we don’t buy the big name star players who may want 350k a week. We buy players just before they get to that stage generally. 20-24 year olds who are 1 step away from being top players so they will generally be on an equivalent wage. It’s more other players already at the club that may ask for more, players like TAA, vvd, Alison for example. But for new signings, we aren’t targeting players like Haaland who will demand big wages. You also look at the major transfers that happen each year. How many of them join clubs and immediately get a huge wage like that? No piss take, but it’s really only United & chelsea who have thrown those huge wages at players and they are type of players we would never target (Ronaldo, varane, sterling). Fully established players approaching 30 and it’s more desperation because don’t have a proper plan in place.
I would never try to deny that because it's true and nobody could argue (and i like to argue ). There are a few of you who seem to think you have a shot at Bellingham, the boy will be in demand and his agent will know this. His price may be lowish because of his contract but his/his agents wage demands will be toward the top end, some will be more than willing to pay it. I worry about players from Germany, Dortmund in particular. For some reason they rarely seem to carry their form onto the next club maybe Haaland will break that hoodoo.
With all due respect, it's a pointless argument. We simply don't have the resources to compete financially with the other clubs that rival us for top players. We can moan about it all we like, but that's how it is with these owners and the only way we'll change is if we get a sugar-daddy or some grifters who'll load the club with debt. We shouldn't forget the last time the latter type got their mucky paws on us. I might finally give up on football if that happens. We have to make the best of the occasional big buy and carefully building around that. This is where we are, and it's where we'll stay for the foreseeable future.
My biggest gripe (and i have mentioned this on here before) is "agent fees". Why the **** are clubs giving a players agent a fee, surely that is a conflict of interest? An agent should be negotiating on behalf of his client not with a club that is willing to pay him the most money for pushing his client to them. Players should pay their agents for getting them the best deal (doing their job), clubs owe agents nothing unless it's a bribe.
Unfortunately there's no way back on this paying the agents.Even if uefa banned clubs paying agents and instead insisted fee was paid by player it would just carry on behind closed doors.
I think there is a way around it but needs the world of football to be on board. All agents MUST be employed by one of the football authorities and they get paid a salary. Means they wouldn't be robbing a living and they'd no personal preference as to where a player goes to or gets paid.
What precedent does it set? That if you perform at an elite level for 4-5 years, breaking records, consistently scoring goals, creating chances, being one of the best players in the world, then you will be paid a very good wage? We have constantly argued that players join on a relatively low base but heavily incentivised package with the hopes of being paid very well if they deliver. Salah has done that and more but now we're saying that we shouldn't give him what he wants (within reason) after proving himself. Bit of a conflicting message if you ask me.
You know there is more than one person sharing an opinion right? It's not a contradiction when it comes from different people
The messaging from the club and local journos has always been that we pay less base wages but with big bonuses. And after players have proved themselves, they will get bigger contracts. The problem is, the club probably weren't expecting us to do so well and pay out such big bonuses and new contracts for world class players.
Not sure that really holds water anymore as we are now regarded as a top club so players expect good base wages from day 1 .
