This is the way the club will be run, properly. I hope the old days, when we bribed people to come or stay, are long gone ... ... I only want players who are totally committed to SAFC. Anyone else should be looked on as a source of finance.
If we have offered to make him out highest paid player and it's still not enough then we have to get the most we can for him. Clarke, Cirkin, Roberts and Ballard seem happy with the wages we offer
Can't see anything in this that we didn't already know. Negotiations are ongoing which has been said so many times it's become boring. If he's not prepared to sign and stay then bye bye Ross.
If he won't sign a new deal, then we take up the option on his current deal and negotiate with Celtic, Rangers etc on the basis he has 18 months left and they have to pay top rate if they want him Got no issue at all with this
If he prefers the money to us, then off you go - but say so now, don’t stretch it out til 30 Jan leaving no chance of getting a replacement.
Aye. That bit is important. I trust the current regime far more than I have at any time as a Sunderland supporter. The signings we have made since KLD took over have largely been a success. Only a couple of iffy signings (Alves/Dajaku) and some absolute hidden gems (Stewart, Evans, Cirkin, Alese) Wonder if Villa a fancy Stewart for £15m and an 18 month loan for Cameron Archer?
I have a suspicion he might be away. Really hope I am wrong though. I think a few of the bits and pieces in interviews have been warming us up to bad news. Probably adding 2 and 2 and getting 5. My concern would be losing him in January. It is a terrible window to be finding a replacement in. We already need to sign one, two would be a massive ask. The sorts of strikers we would need to replace him I doubt will be available, unless we are breaking banks. I would sooner keep him until the summer and sell for a lower price then, as it might be the difference between a play off push versus a relegation battle.
No point keeping him if he's decided he is away. If his heart isn't in it, he won't want to risk an injury scuppering his move
He seems a pretty genuine lad to me. The club will know best, but I could see him agreeing to staying and playing and then moving in the summer. His agent might like it too - smaller tfr fee equals bigger wages. Plays well second half of the season more clubs might well be interested. Time will tell, but selling a major asset in January would worry me.
I think there is a lot of guesswork going on in the media/social media. On the face of it, he's scored 5 goals at Championship level and is coming off the back of a fairly serious injury. It would represent a considerable gamble on both fitness and ability levels for a team be offering 8 figures for him, especially if it represents a step up in level (PL for example). I'm reasonably relaxed about the Jan transfer window
You can't possibly know that. My suspicion is that if he IS away then we will have some unknown 20 year old playing in France lined up to replace him
I suppose it depends on the difference between what he has been offered here and what he might get elsewhere. Simple as that really, though I thought his lay off might have held bids back. But three years ago he was probably on less cash than many on here. He might only have this one chance to set himself up for life, so I couldn't blame him if a big offer was dangled his way. Hopefully he stays, but we'll see. I don't expect it.
If we have offered to make him the highest player at the club (assume the likes of Batth/Pritchard/Clarke are possibly the current high earners based on where they came from) and he turns it down then I think the club have done all they can. No sense in breaking the wage structure for 1 player
Agree. January is never a good time to sell. We have the option for the extra year too. Also, I think with Stewart not playing for months the fee we will get offered will be lower than his natural value therefore, it's not the best time to sell. We know the model but you sell when stock is highest. Stewart's not at the high point yet. Activate the extra year, agree with him he moves in the summer.