A More Realistic Take on the Demba Ba situation

Just read this in the Northern Echo, and think it is a more realistic take on how things currently are with Demb Ba rather than the usual headlines from the national rags:

NEWCASTLE officials are confident Demba Ba will still be a Magpies player when the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

Ba's future has been the source of considerable conjecture in recent days after it emerged the striker's contract contains a release clause that could potentially prevent Newcastle from stopping him speaking to other clubs.

The Senegal international, who is currently in Africa preparing to represent his country in the Africa Cup of Nations, has claimed he has no interest in leaving Tyneside this month.

And while Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea have all been credited with an interest in acquiring his services, senior Newcastle officials are adamant they will not be losing their leading scorer during this month's transfer window.

Ba signed a three-year contract when he moved to St James' Park as a free agent last summer, and while his basic salary is not believed to be particularly high, it is understood it includes substantial bonus payments for appearances and goals.

Most of those have been hit, but their inclusion enabled Newcastle to protect themselves against the risk of injury, a key consideration given Ba's previous failed medical at Stoke City.

The release clause is likely to have been a trade off for such clauses, and similar arrangements are not unusual, particularly when a player is moving as a free agent.

Newcastle could opt to re-negotiate Ba's contract, increasing his basic salary in return for the removal of any unwanted clauses.

That is unlikely to happen this month given the 26-year-old's responsibilities with the Senegal team, although Ba's presence in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon also means it will be extremely difficult for anyone to prise him from Newcastle's grasp.

Even if there was to be a formal approach, Ba would have to agree to any move, something that does not appear likely given his latest comments.

"I'm in Newcastle, fans like me, and then the transfer market will be closed when I go back, so I'm not focused on it (a move)," said the striker, who has scored 15 Premier League goals already this season.

"My first goal is the Africa Cup of Nations and to enjoy a good result. I will then continue to play good matches with Newcastle. We undertook something, and I'd like to go all the way."

Ba was unavailable for Saturday's FA Cup win over Blackburn Rovers, but in his absence, Hatem Ben Arfa staked his claim for a regular starting spot with one of the best goals seen at St James' for many a season.

The French winger skipped past four defenders before hammering the ball past Mark Bunn, and admits he had dreamed of such a strike while he was completing the long haul back from a double leg break in the first half of last season.

"I dreamt of scoring a goal like that during darker times," said Ben Arfa. "I guess it is everybody's dream to score a goal like that. Those dreams keep you going.

"Even when I was at school and playing with my friends we always tried to score goals like the one against Blackburn. I've been doing it since I was small. I always used to say to friends at school, 'I hope one day I can score a goal like that as a professional'."

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew will hope for some positive injury news today as he begins to prepare for Sunday's home game with QPR.

Danny Guthrie was assessed by the club's medical staff yesterday and should receive the green light to return to full training.

Danny Simpson injured his shoulder in the weekend win over Blackburn, and it remains to be seen whether the full-back is ruled out of Sunday's game.

 

I think that Ba is likely to stay simply because he is away at the moment and not particuarly fussed.

We will need to re-negotiate his contract signficantly, though, if he is going to stay in the summner, or even be sold for a decent price

 

According to the Chronicle the overall Demba Ba fee for the team buying will be close to £20 million. Some of which will go to us, some will go to Demba and a lot will go to his agents (who sound very greedy from what I have read recently).

 

I just want to hear Ba say "Bah! It's all bahlocks"

 

Have you ever known agents that weren't greedy? At the end of the day they're in it more for what they can get out of it rather than what they can get out of it for the player's they represent.

 

These ones seem extremely greedy. There is talk that they received £2 million off us!

 

I expect that Ba's "free" signing will have cost about £5 million in fees to agents and to Ba

 

So that leaves £33m for the undersoil heating........jeez must be the Rolls Royce of heating.

 

What will be will be, I'm confident he'll be here till the summer. After that I find it very unlikely if he continues at the current rate. The likes of Citeh or PSG can just blow us out of the water. Once the weekly wage is upward of 6 figures you've just got to get on with it. Money talks. The key thing is to re-negotiate with him before then but I don't think we will find that straight forward as he will be sitting pretty with the cards at the moment. This means Ashley and co would need to dangle a decent sized carrot for him to move his position.

 

ashley is gonna have to start changin these get out clauses ,for future players ,this is no good but i suppose same **** different year

 

To add to this:

Ba Was Baited Into PSG Comments
Some interesting context is emerging in the French media after Demba Ba's eyebrow-raising interview Sunday with RMC in which he gave a "why not?" when asked if he'd be interested in a transfer to his suddenly wealthy home club, Paris Saint-Germain. The PSG question didn't exactly drop out of the Parisian sky. As illuminated by stories in numerous French outlets today, RMC's probe on PSG was a sequel to a Saturday post-match interview with France's Canal+ television in which a hypothetical question about playing in France someday clearly took Ba by surprise.

"If I have to name a Ligue 1 club?" Ba said in front of the Canal+ microphone. "Let me think. PSG?" He laughed. "Can I use a wildcard? Because it's difficult to answer when you're playing on my feelings." In a Web translation you'll likely see the last phrase, prend par les sentiments, translated literally as "took by the sentiments." It's a French idiom that translates as something resembling "to sweet-talk someone." Ba, according to reports, then abruptly ended the interview.

In that context, Ba's "sure, why not" response to RMC's follow-up sounds at least partly like someone trying to escape contradicting a previous answer given without forethought, rather than start a controversy in France. Of course, not all the French media are playing it that way. "Demba Ba, the star of Newcastle, has offered his services to PSG," proclaimed the Paris tabloid France Soir. "The Sevres native, who started his career in Montrouge, dreams of one day wearing the colors of the club at his heart." It's telling, though, that the more respectable French media appear to have dropped the story entirely, even as the less respectable English media are heating it up.

Here's our take, given the full details: There's nothing to see here. Move along.

http://www.newcastleunited.us/2012/01/ba-was-baited-into-psg-comments.html

 

I think we ought to be realistic about the Ba situation. I expect Ba to remain a toon player after the window, partly down to the ACoN- who'd have thought the ACoN would have turned out to be a blessing in disguise? However he'll most likely move on in the summer, and I wouldn't blame him if he does (provided it's not the Bindippers or the Spuds). The term 'in form' gets thrown around too often; this a player who is only 26, built like a brick-**** house and has scored 15 goals in 19 appearances this season, in what is the best league in the world. That is what I call in form...oh and it is widely rumoured he has a very low buyout clause!

If I was Ashley I'd be fighting tooth and nail to get this guy signed to contract which would set his buyout clause at over 20million at least!

 

There's talk of doubling his wages to £60k a week, but this could set a dangerous precedent. Will Cabaye, Tiote, Krul etc. all be looking at bumper salary boosts too? If we won't offer them, will they look elsewhere? There's also talk of asking Coloccini to come down by a few thousand too, but will the captain want to if the star striker has just had a 100% pay rise?

 

Very true. This is why I think they need to just accept the fact that he could easily go in the summer and hopefully sort out a contract which suits both parties.

 

i agree here its a fact they say there loyal as soon as the £££££ cash goes up they have a different opinion on the matter

 

You do realise we have another player who we signed on a "free" transfer this summer who has had less success? Marveaux? The sole reason that these sorts of clauses exist is so that an injury-prone player (which Demba allegedly is, not sure mind) isn't so great a risk.

 

well they must be some clause if ya **** you go or injury prone the same , something needs sorting

 

Most of the time its not even that TomTom. It is widely accepted that when you sign a player on a free transfer that said player is in a much stronger bargaining position than normal. To be honest putting a clause in that allows him to leave if a certain figure is correct would probably have no link to whether they are injury prone as, if what has happened with Marveaux, you're stuck with them regardless. It is more the player is in a very strong position and looks for trade offs with the club against them paying no fee. Hence all the silly agents fees, signing on fees, clause etc. Just the way the market works, if a player is on a free, he is holding all the cards. I do think Ashley has set the bar very low on Demba but no one was 100% sure if he was strong enough physically or good enough, without even thinking that this clause and its size might have been a condition Ba and his agent would not budge on.

 

The emergence of Demba has surprised everyone, I personally think (based on his comments) he'll stay until the summer and as the article says (much like the similar one in the Telegraph) this gives us plenty of time to negotiate that clause out of his contract in exchange for a higher weekly wage.

Long-term I think this has to be the most successful strategy too - you give these lower risk contracts and re-negotiate if the player is a success, not the other way around...

 

RT @oddschanger: Demba Ba's agent has confirmed a Manchester United interest in his client, Ba is 25/1 to join #MUFC @SkyBet

I have no idea who he is, but I don't like Demba's agent. He seems to like stirring things up.