The Club is delighted to announce that Ross McCormack has today signed a new contract with Fulham. please log in to view this image Following the summer extension which tied him to the Whites until 2019, McCormack has been duly rewarded for his excellent form this season and last, and to further demonstrate his loyalty the new deal has an option to extend until the summer of 2020.
I know it's unlikely but would have another go with Dembele, maybe offer him a contract with a buy out clause in, especially if Ross is right and the players are impressed wit Jokanovic
Stranger things and all that Cookie and I doubt if we understand what fully went on with the Spurs thing. Reckon the next one we'll see sooner rather than later is Dan Burn who is also out of contract in the summer. There is Kaca as well, who Slavi seems to favour, but can't see anything being decided about him before the summer - ditto Parker and O'Hara. Hyndman we're assuming the worst. A whole rack of youngsters have contracts ending in the summer, so it will be a busy and interesting time. Rosc will be on tender hooks about Jesse Joronen!
I don't know this changes much, money keeps him motivated, pay him more to keep him scoring but come the end of the season he either go up a league or to one of the clubs coming down - reckon there will be a few clauses in there.
You're probably right about the motive behind this - taking his contract from 3 years to 4 years left is not in itself a big deal and re-writing the contact probably did include changing his wages together with, as you say, a few clauses (like the trigger value that allows him to talk transfers with other clubs). Not so sure about McCormack inevitably leaving in the summer though. Okay make an allowance for the PR stuff but in his Club interview he was quite positive, not least about Slavi. And specifically there was his comment, "having spoken to the owner and manager recently, there is going to be a change in the club in the summer." Here's the whole thing -
To be fair to him he comes across well and maybe I have been too cynical, interesting comment about everyone not always having pulled together up to recently. On Slavi, (paraphrasing) "he seems to have more of a method, knows how to tailor sessions, not just running up and down - things that are going to benefit you". Sounds like the manager has won him over but pretty damning on kit, although I don't know thats what he intends. I wonder if the new deal takes him up to parity with Scott - he looks pretty chuffed at the end.
At the risk of inviting comment from our friends in the North, I think it's fair to say that what Ross McCormack is most committed to is getting Ross McCormack into the Premier League. If we kick on in the rest of this season, and look like we can be competing for promotion next time he'll be happy to stay with us, if it becomes clear that we're not competing he'll be making noises about looking to move on, contract or no contract. Having said that, whether he's contented with us or whether he's getting itchy feet, I don't think it necessarily affects his game. To my mind, he's always done well in a variety of positions, but is more likely to have an impact when played as a central striker, rather than out wide or in a deeper role. He'll keep getting goals, which means we either have a player making a significant contribution, or someone who can command a decent fee if we do decide to sell him.
The problem I have with Ross McCormack is that at times over the last 2 season he has sometimes played like Jimmy Bullard in that he tries to get involved in areas of the pitch that he shouldn't be in. It disrupts the flow and stops others from performing. On the plus side he has a great scoring record and produces good assists. His Penalties, corners and free-kicks have saved us, and it sounds like he is motivated to try to get the top scorers spot this season.