Four Hammers will have their contracts expire this Summer with a further three Hammers the following summer.
Joe Hart, James Collins, Patrice Evra and Joao Mario contracts all expire by the end of June with little prospect of renewal as it stands. The Hammers will save up to £300,000 per week on the wage bill or £4.68m per year which can be re-invested in the summer.
Perhaps more telling are the three more Hammers who will have less than ten months remaining on their contracts when next season kicks off in August. The players in question are Andy Carroll, Pablo Zabaleta and Adrian. Normal football recruitment practice would be to extend deals of players well before they reach the final twelve months of their contracts which gives a big hint as to their long-term fate.
Zabaleta will be 34 next year while Adrian will be 32 so they could expect short extensions at best. Andy Caroll is the anomaly, do they cut their losses and sell him in the summer when he regains his fitness or keep him for the final year of his contract on the off chance of an injury-free season?
If Carroll hasn’t had an injury free season so far what are the odds of an injury free one next season? Get rid!
On the off chance of an injury free season?
Carroll will no doubt do his normal less than 50% appearances. Incredible how he’s managed to bag over £90k per week.
The original 7 year deal must have been dodgy. Allardyce and Carroll had the same agent Mark Curtis.
Agreed. Why any player would get a deal that long is beyond me. So much can change. 5 years tops, and even that is a very long time.
Would make more for Carroll in January when relegation threatened clubs are desperate even if he is fit don’t play him, wrap him in bubble wrap and sell him in January for 15 – 20 million.