Hammer Chat’s Gonzo hits out
As the Declan Rice saga continues to play out in the public domain I find myself torn between club and player.
Whilst the situation may appear to be black and white on the surface, there are quite a few contradicting noises being leaked from the club itself and Rice’s agent Neil Fewings.
Of course both parties will claim that there have been no leaks but we are most certainly witnessing a very public salary negotiation.
The media game of contractual chess is only just starting to warm up and credit must be given to Rice for ignoring the distraction and focusing on his football.
Whilst my default setting would usually be to blame David Sullivan I’m troubled by Fewings rejection of the latest offer. I think most would agree that Declan is ridiculously underpaid on £3000 per week and it’s an open secret that his advisers are demanding £30-40k.
So with that in mind I’d have expected some sort of compromise and the most recent offer would seem to be exactly that.
Ken Dyer in the Evening Standard has reported that Sullivan’s latest offering is £15k p/w plus £20k appearance money. Even by my basic arithmetic that’s £35k not including win and clean sheet bonuses and the deal would be increased in 15 games (January 1st).
I understand this to be a short term offer to get the player earning whilst also allowing 3 months to ratchet a larger deal to follow.
I’m not going to pretend to know what a win bonus is worth but I’d guess it’s over £10,000. So even by conservative estimates Rice would be highly likely to earn over £300,000 before Christmas with a pay-rise to immediately follow.
That may not be precisely what Declan and his agent want but it is a compromise of sorts with room for further negotiation if needed.
However I’m not convinced that Fewings has any intention of allowing his client to sign for West Ham at all.
Make no mistake about it, anyone who can advise a client to turn his back on a nation is perfectly capable of doing the same to a club.
The whole Ireland saga is extremely poor advice from a man who should really know better and does not bode well for the Hammers.
Of course it’s Declan’s prerogative to choose to represent whomever he chooses but to leave the proud Irish fans in limbo is extreme naivety on his agent’s part.
Anyone who has seen the passionate Irish follow their sporting idols be it in football, rugby or Connor McGregor should know not to take them for fools.
He should have been advised to make a decision privately and decisively rather than leaving two nations hanging.
He’s now in a situation of his advisers making where he’ll be unpopular with a fan-base of at least one country.
That is a completely avoidable situation for anyone with an ounce of common sense which evidently his agent lacks.
It’s very concerning that the best youngster West Ham have produced in years is being led by somebody with such poor judgement. Many seem to be pinning their hopes on Rice’s love for West Ham but I’m in no doubt he loved Ireland too and look how that’s going.
So should Sullivan make an improved contract offer and give this outstanding player pay parity with other squad members? Unequivocally yes.
However I have a sneaking suspicion that even if we do jump through all of the hoops it still might not be enough for Fewings to give his nod of approval.
Great piece Hondo I wish I could say you were wrong but you’ve tied up the links that were worrying me.
I believe Declan should stick with Ireland and as previously stated take some advice from older wiser heads amongst his team mates.
The next ploy of the agent will be to tell him he’ll never play for England whilst with us and he’ll move somewhere bigger sit on a bench and never realise his potential like so many before him.
I hope for common sense and for him to stay forever a star with us but I fear the worst.
Sorry Gonzo predictive text strikes again lol
Well said,Gonz.Something fishy is defo going on.If he really liked it here,he would have signed that new deal already.It does now,start to seem that he is useing WHU to get a better deal.Good Player,…would love him ere,but…if he thinks/knows, he can get better elsewhere (by the lovely advice of his agent),…..THEN LATER!!!
Well put Gonzo. The agent is the problem here. And me as a proud Irish hammer understand totally. You shouldn’t leave it in the balance. Make your decision now. And move on. But it’s his agent for sure because I know how passionate he was playing for Ireland.
Sorry but that’s rubbish. The agent can suggest it but none of this can happen unless Rice himself confirms the course of action. If he had any morals he would make his decision and call Martin O’Niell and inform him. As you say, he WAS passionate about playing for Ireland but he obviously isn’t now. Read his pro Irish comments over the last year or two and you will realise that what he is doing now makes a mockery of them and is indicative of another mercenary looking to see where the most money is, which doesn’t auger well for the club either.
Write me a blog Innocuous. Such fiercely held views (always) need a wider audience. Reaction has it’s place. Pro active is better
Of course we don’t know all the details but based on what we do, I think that is a pretty level headed assessment, Gonzo. On the one hand, it is to Rice’s credit that he is making no public comments on his contract situation. On the other, I am continually astounded at the stupidity of players who allow themselves to be manipulated by agents who, by and large, look after themselves first. I am no fan of Sullivan, but to be fair he has a decent record of revisiting contracts and rewarding players when they perform. 35k per week for a youngster if he makes the first team is fair, and 15k per week is also fair for a youngster who doesn’t make the first team. On top of that, there are potentially win bonuses and a guaranteed salary review after fifteen appearances.
We can’t just lay this at the agents door, Rice himself is a party to this situation and it can’t happen without his consent. He’s possibly not the nice, young, committed lad we thought he was, as evidenced by his behaviour with Ireland. Read his earlier comments on playing for Ireland, and in light of what he is/is not doing now, you have to say that he is a turncoat, not to be trusted. Martin O’Niell has been kind in his comments and generous in giving him time to decide – and how is he paying him back? With silence.