This summer could yet see the departure of two of the club’s highest earners, freeing up wages to be spend on loans and/or new signings while complying with the Financial fair play regulations.
Kevin Nolan is thought to earn a £50,000 per week basic wage plus bonuses. His basic annual salary is £2.6m plus Employers National Insurance contribution adding another £364,000 per year.
Meanwhile Stewart Downing is thought to earn the same £50,000 per week basic wage plus bonuses. His basic salary is also £2.6m plus Employers National Insurance contribution adding another £364,000 per year.
Only Andy Carroll £85,000 per week, Alex Song £75,000 per week and Dimitri Payer £68,000 per week are thought to earn more at the club.
Realistically neither Nolan or Downing are likely to feature regularly in Slaven Bilic’s first team this season so that is a lot of wages to sit on the bench for a club the size of West Ham. Their combined £6.2m of wages could be freed up should they leave this summer allowing the recruitment of younger, hungrier and cheaper players to fill their bench and squad positions.
Earlier this year Nolan said he was open to move away if he was not wanted. He told the Newham recorder “I have been considering my future, without a shadow of a doubt, I am not one who wants to sit here on the bench, I won’t continue to do it, just for the fact that if you are not good enough for one club you move on and you prove to someone else you are.”
As reported by Claret and Hugh, Downing wants a return to the North East to his beloved Middlesborough who have offered him a bumper £70,000 per week to join them in the championship.
Both have done good jobs for us, but now is time to allow them to leave, and free up budgets on salaries.
Downing we could sell to a number of clubs no probs, Nolan though… Going to be hard offloading him I have a feeling, maybe a champ club will come in for him.
Totally agree with jaybs, both been loyal servants but it’s time to move onto bigger and better
Well said jaybs but you can add Noble to this … 5 year contract worth a fortune and no chance of getting a game . Time to go
Nolan can go…… but I’d keep Downing ahead of Amalfitano – and Noble too, if I’m honest.
So now Nolan is on £55k per week?
Why is it his wages differ depending on the subject of the article? Lol
My view is that Nolan, like Sam, was brought in to do a job and did it very well, we are now entering phase two and it’s time to thank him and move on.
I don’t take much notice of the FFP restrictions, we had the time a while back when both Sullivan and Gold tired themselves out going around every TV studio using it as an excuse to not buy anymore players……the figures they quoted then were proven to be false and we rarely hear it now. If clubs the size of Palace and Stoke can pay big money then I’m sure we can too.
As for Downing, £7m is just too much to turn down IMO.
Actually I think Nolan is on £50k per week the same as Downing, I have updated the article but the headline remains the same. He was fined £100,000 by the club after one of his sending off offences which was equivalent to two weeks wages.
Looks like Downing is a want-away. Too bad, I also rate him over Noble. It is also a ding against the home-grown rule – too many inbound foreigners to offset outbound locals. Unless, this means a bigger chance for bringing up the youngsters which, though a gamble, is not a bad thing.
One thing overlooked. There was a statement earlier about Nolan looking “hard” (and not in a porno). Is it even possible to see a revitalised KN?
Either way – exciting the pre-season is a Europa tournament this year. Very much looking to see a rotating, fit squad kicking off next month. Should definitely help on the injury front.
Hahaha,i read this about Nolan being ‘hard’ as well.I just dont understand why he also wasnt ‘hard’ under Allardyce 😉
Being hard under Allardyce would be difficult as he’d stop blood flow lol
Oh, god. For whatever reason…*that* scene for Borat comes to mind ‘cept with Hip’ and Kev’.
Hahahaha that is perfect
It beggars belief that anyone could think that Nolan should be paid £55k a week – nobody else will come anywhere near that, which inevitably means he will sit tight and see out his Contract – you can’t blame him but it’s bad news for the Club!
You despair at the original thinking of putting on this sort of money!
If Song joins and the young Argie I don’t see any point keeping Noble he would save money on wages plus money coming in before he gets to old,
We need to move Magia as well even if we have to pay him off
Again I hear that Nolan was bought in to do a job it drives me mad, he’s a footballer that was handsomely paid at the latter end of his career, yes I grant you he did this so called job for a year and a half but his legs have gone, he was picked regardless of form at the detriment of others. This was in part to a manager who couldn’t take off his rose tinted glasses towards him but as a club captain surely if saw himself playing wasn’t working he’d say” listen boss they were doing well without me how bout we keep it the same” no we just how he wants 1st team football his game was disrupted by AC abscence etc etc etc.., he doesn’t justify 50k a week anymore and that’s a fact, what ****es me off more is hearing the he and the hippo did the job what about the rest of the team or squad sick of hearing this KN love in
He helped us get out of the championship & scored goals in an inferior league,then helped us consolidate in the prem.As you say GW it really ****s me off as well that everything is about that fat ******* hippo & the **** nolan.Both were paid ridiculous amounts for a champ team at the time.A whole squad took us up,not just those two ****ing joined at the hip *******s.But remember we must all bow & worship him the day he goes,bull****,quicker he ****s off & frees the wages the better.
**** me Spoonie the whispering maybe helping you’ve cut down on the *****,*****,********* and ***** well fractionally anyway.
I agree with GW and you,I don’t remember us playing a 0-1-0 in the championship….oh **** I need formation aversion therapy quickly lol
Whats the need to thank them.The have been paid top dollar,more than Nolan deserves,that is a fact.Many other players got us up,just because Nolan was captain doesnt mean all this love-in is necessary.Will be happy when he has gone so all the Nolanittes can stop wetting their y-fronts about him.He made no effort to be fit last year,now he is ment to be super fit & this year.That makes him unprofessional if he didnt bother being fit under hippo.Before anyone says anything,no he wasnt fit last year,he was carrying way too much weight!
It totally ****es me off the back slapping of good old KN ,let’s thank him for being the sole person who got us promoted, let’s forget about Collison, Cole and others it was all down to him and that fat ****, no one else played no one else deserves credit it was simply down the two of them doing the job they were brought in for, absolute ******** , so to those who want to fall at the great KN’s feet, it’s not hard to stand in front of a keeper and it ain’t worth 50k a week, we should thank him for taking a massive salary absolute ********
Some people thank him because they think it makes them super fans.Never knock Allardyce or Nolan.As was mentioned above.Why is Nolan seemingly fighting fit & lost weight this pre season when he was a lump of lard last season.He was ridiculed for being unfit in the media for god sake.Does it mean hippo was giving him a free ride.Dont worry Kev,you will always be picked so dont bother about being at top fitness levels.Its a ****ing joke & now people are giving it the thank you King Kev for what you have done.50k a week for coughing & spluttering like an old man after 30mins in games.Its a joke.
Super fans lol… Fans who talk stats, profess there love for players that are ultimately mugging us off, fans who persecute players for leaving because they had the balls to question hippo but revere those that remained because they kissed his ass, fans that believe that thinking of a formation makes them a manager, fans that have the cheek to mention Dev, Dicks, Bonds etc in the same breath as Nolan…
Im afraid Nolan lost any appreciation i had for him last season when he snotted & coughed his way round the pitch.He was 100% not fit enough to be playing & to see him now just takes the ****.Couldnt be bothered to be fit last year but now he makes the effort.Nah **** him,he is a joke big time.
Totally agree, mugged us off last year knowing it didn’t matter as he’d get picked anyway yet there’s those who justify him playing because he does the job he was bought for and we should thank him…. Laughable
If i say thanks to Nolan for the first year can i then say what sort of total liability & joke he was last season.Thats fair i believe,i have been balanced in my comments,lol.Funniest thing i have read is that we should thank him for stepping down a division.No the 50k is what took him down a division,a long contract on silly money with his dad is what took him into the championship.He did us no favours.He grabbed a ridiculously ott contract,he didnt do it for the love of West Ham.