Genuinely think is a shame for the lad but looking like an unbelievable bit of business on our side, well done KS.
As sad as it is for Stewart, you have to say this could possibly be the best deal ever done in the history of SAFC. At least a bank robber wears a mask
See he's played all of twice for them. Once when he came on in the 83rd minute. Once when he came on in the 80th. Er - that's it.
Nothing against the lad or ill wishes for his career but this is the exact time of signing we’d get shafted by over the years. Great business by the club
Yeah. In a previous regime we would have given him a fat new contract and be lumbered with him for the next 4 years
We must have canny negotiators to convince them that he was worth that much in general and that injuries wouldn't be a problem. I'm no expert but I'd have only bought him off us on the cheap, it always seemed quite likely he'd pick up another injury. Feel for the bloke but the point really is well played Sunderland.
Think what I find interesting about this is that he probably only really has a career at Southampton if they don't go up this season. I can't see him being their starting striker in the Prem after missing practically two full seasons of football.
Feel for the lad he was a bloody good servant great player when fit but has been said what a bit of business
I PMd someone on here that I trust at the time and explained how under really strange circumstances found out some information about RS contract situation. I put little bits that I could at the time on here and was basically told I was full of ****. However even though so many people pulled the club apart and said they were tight and had no ambition, he was the best striker in the league and they should pay him what he wants, the club have shown they knew exactly what they were doing. They originally offered RS what they thought was a good deal , RS was quite willing to sign but was told by his agent he could get him a lot more, the club moved a little bit but not much as they thought their original offer was a fair one, once RS realised that, he was serious about signing a new contract, however he then got injured , this is where the club showed their professionalism by taking the original offer of the table and put it on hold, that bit I do know, the rest is more reading between the lines from a few more snippets I was told. Which was to do with a clause being put in the contract to do with his fitness where basically it he got back to fitness the original offer was back on the table but any set backs then clauses would kick in, I believe the club always had concerns about his fitness and in the end it looks like it's worked out best for both parties. We are now not paying wages for a player that possibly with struggle with his fitness for a while and I really feel for the lad. However he has gotten himself a decent deal whether he gets his fitness back properly or not. I think the only people that have lost out here are Southampton
If there were any add ons in the deal I don't think we will be getting them tho lol. Like someone said it's now not our problem. He's been a massive miss up front tho.
Very interesting read that mate! Thanks for sharing. It seems like we are not a push over when negotiating new contracts or transfers. We used to be mugs by the look of some of the business we did under Short!
Agree. Remember saying that a big 6ft plus bloke would struggle and likely get secondary injuries frequently due to his ruptured Achilles. Massive shame but the data and science said this would happen. Just amazed we got 10m.
Gutted for the lad. Brilliant business by the club etc but he must be so frustrated, best striker we’d had in years
