David Sullivan (West Ham co-owner) on Demba Ba

Fascinating stuff - it's very cut-throat with the finance these days and you have to wonder why he failed the medical at Stoke City.

His knee hasn't given him a moments trouble since he's been here - did the club take a risk in signing him? I can't imagine it is a risk - £2m for Ba?

Ba-gain!

 

The bit I particularly liked was his display of business knowledge, financial acumen and keeping abreast of club affairs with the comment "I'll have to make the figures up here because I can't remember" ****ing hell it was only last year! To be fair they did inherit one hell of a wage bill from that mad icelandic bastard.

 

The club doesn't say much about much. I have, despite myself, developped a healthy respect for the way it manages its money though. I would be surprised if we come out of this having been played for mugs

 

HAVING let Demba Ba leave West Ham United on a free transfer, co-owner David Sullivan thinks Newcastle United risk losing him for as little as £3.5m this summer.

Sullivan has described the deal which took Demba Ba to St James’ Park as “probably one of the worst mistakes I have ever made in my life”.

But he believes that the Magpies could also be short-changed, as Hoffenheim were when the Senegal striker first moved to the Premier League in January 2011.

In an interview with fans website “West Ham Till I Die”, Sullivan explained the terms of Ba’s move to Tyneside.

And he also added to speculation about the Senegal striker’s get-out clause, claiming it is around £7m.

When Ba moved to Upton Park, the Hammers agreed to let him leave for free if they were relegated, which they were.

Although they did not receive a penny when the player joined Newcastle, Sullivan claims Ba’s agent was paid £2m as part of the deal.

He revealed: “Demba Ba signed a three-and-a-half year contract with us.

“We had a deal where his salary would be halved (from £35,000 a week) if we were relegated. He said, ‘Well on that basis, I have got to be allowed to walk if we get relegated’.

“What we should have said in retrospect – but none of us thought he would score so many goals – is we’d be happy to give him £40 grand a week in the Championship.

“In the end I offered him £45 grand a week to stay but he wouldn’t take it.

“What we should have said was that if we don’t halve your salary, you haven’t got a get-out. The failure to put that one line in the contract cost us very, very dearly.”

Having wanted to take Ba on loan, West Ham paid Hoffenheim an initial 500,000 (£415,000), with the deal rising by up to 5.5m on a match-by-match basis depending what division they were in. Hoffenheim never got the extra cash, and received nothing from Newcastle.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp stirred a hornet’s nest in January by speculating that Ba had a buy-out clause in his Newcastle contract – something the Magpies have never been prepared to comment on.

But despite not having been involved in those negotiations, Sullivan is.

“I’m told he’s got a £7m get-out at Newcastle and he gets half the money over that,” he said. ”They keep denying it but I think you’ll see in the summer he will leave Newcastle or he’ll get a monstrous rise to stay there.

“It’s one of those mistakes that happen, but it’s probably one of the worst mistakes I have ever made in my life.

“It just didn’t enter anybody’s head that he’d score enough goals that we’d want to give him £40k a week and his old club £15/20k an appearance.”

Having scored 16 goals already this term, United seem certain to try to negotiate a new contract with Ba in the summer.

Sullivan also claimed Newcastle bid £4m for Ravel Morrison, but that the Hammers saw off them and four other Premier League clubs by offering Manchester United a £2m package.


I don't know if there's any truth.
But that's pretty scary to think we could could lose Demba for that ammount.

 

http://www.not606.com/showthread.php/125920-David-Sullivan-(West-Ham-co-owner)-on-Demba-Ba


Been done Matt
Just going to have to wait and see what happens in Summer.

 

Sounds like bullshit from a very bitter man to me. the £4 million for morrison especially. Ashley would not pay that for someone like Morrison

 

What an utter fool i am, I'd like to think with Cisse by his side we can tie him down for a more substantive contract and with no stupid clauses in.
He's earning a decent wage here, and only stupid money could lure him away IMO.

 

Most pressing news Ive seen is in The Evening Chronicle, Cisse might'nt be back from International duty with Senegal for derby.

 

You have to say why would Ashley et el allow Ba's agaent put in a 50% of the sell on fee clause into his contract. As much as people call Ashley he isn't stupid and I'm sure the clause would be more than £7 million.

Sullivan was quoted "So I've heard" before spouting this ****e.

Don't know what he dwarf is looking to gain from this.

 

If that's the case then Sessegnon is playing in Africa so he may not be back either.

 

Don't think Benin have a friendly for him to play in unfortunatley.

 

Thought I read on the Sunderland board they had a qualifier. Or have they moved it to suit the mackems I wonder.

 

They're away to Ethiopia on the 29th of February , same day as Senegal's game in South Africa.

 

So he's likely to be missing if Cisse is.

 

Well I think it'll be touch and go. He'll probably fly back on the 1st of March meaning he'll only be able to train for 2 days.

Could be enough.

But if they're missing Sessegnon for the derby , I actually won't be worried the night before the derby. They heavily rely on him.

 

Yes that was very noticeable on Saturday and even though some of their fans won't admit it you could see that crowd notice it as well.

 

Looks as if I might be right Shola will start , Cisse better get back.

 

I had a scan of the BBC Internationals and didn't see that one, don't think Ethipoia is quite as far as South Africa. But would certainly benefit us if he was missing.

Surely we'd just put Strolla in for Cisse as he is the Mackem destroyer

 

Now lets not have any of the "I want to play their strongest team so there are no excuses" ****. I want their whole squad to get a nasty dose of Gonorrhea, and miss the game due to burning knobs. But Sessegnon staying away will do. They'll miss him a whole lot more than we'll miss Cisse.

 

Titus might have a dose.