With a large number of player exits still on the cards, West Ham’s recruitment department (or more accurately, ‘departure’ department) faces something of a recurring problem this summer.
Several of the ‘star’ players earmarked for departure are earning significantly higher salaries than the market place will bear and so are proving troublesome to offload.
West Ham face a thorny problem this summer as their highly paid stars are unaffordable in the European Leagues
Their huge salaries – by European standards, even with the 50% wage reduction triggered by relegation, means players like Ward Prowse, Fullkrug, Cornet and Alvarez are seen by the wider market place outside of England as unaffordable.
Which explains the reason that Mexican skipper Edson Alvarez is looking at his hoped-for move to Köln falling through.
West Ham midfielder Alvarez
The midfielder had hoped to escape east London for good this summer but, as per footballplace.co.uk, that whole move is now in jeopardy over his pay:
“Edson Álvarez’s proposed departure from West Ham United is in danger of collapsing, with the midfielder’s wage demands threatening to derail a move to Bundesliga side FC Köln.
Although the two clubs are believed to have reached an agreement over a loan deal, negotiations with the Mexico international have yet to produce a breakthrough.”
No doubt there’ll be a certain amount of brinkmanship from West Ham’s point of view as the new regime play hardball over ‘subsidised’ loans which cost the club dear last season. At some stage these players are going to have to choose to take a cut or see out the end of their West Ham careers without ever stepping onto a football pitch for a competitive fixture.
We have professionals at the club managing the finances and contractual agreements of each and every member of staff.
Their problems to solve and not for us to worry about.
If I had a fixed term contract with an employer, then refused to work or my work/attitude was constantly sub-standard I would expect the contract to be terminated with little/no compensation. If they want to stay and rebuild their careers we could have some useful squad players for the season. If the club let them sit around this year then they’ll still be around if we go back up, but on full money again and even less saleable. They won’t go, so realistically Nuno has to re-integrate them somehow.
Show me the money. Never truer words spoken, for these people it was about the football so long ago they can’t remember. They expect the club will blink and off they’ll go on their subsidised football jaunt. If I was a billionaire football club owner I would extend the budget and give the match patrons the pleasure of seeing the shop merchandise on display fully kitted on a wooden bench collecting splinters.
If he wants out that much, why doesn’t he take a pay cut
I do enjoy the way people love to get on their moral high horse when it comes to players and wages.
I would hazard a guess that most people would protect their own interests if they were faced with the same situation.
A cake and eat it situation. Crazy to think that all that they’ve earned isn’t enough and is more important than their actual careers. I could understand it if they were just well paid but not enough to retire on.
While it’s a source of anguish for us club fans as to who will be part of our squad now we are relegated, but I take personal glee in watching mediocre footballers and their agents, who weren’t good enough to stay in the premier league, scrambling around trying to secure a move from absolutely anyone that will pay them another over inflated contract for what they clearly aren’t worth.It also goes a long way to demonstrate just why they are at the club in the first place.
Absolutely no heart or desire for themselves to actually settle at a club and make it their job (as they were contracted) to do the very best for the people that pay their obscene wages. I hope many of those so desperate to get away have to take enormous pay cuts in doing so as a reward for failure.
Does not want to play for us and does not want to take a pay cut to go elsewhere…like you say time to play hardball…his wages are halved and will stay that way so he either leaves and plays football or he stays on half wages like it or lump it mate.
Alvarez would still be a good player to have around the squad, hes captain of his country for crying out loud and a leader which would be invaluable in regaining our premier league status
It must be awful for Alvarez and these other highly paid footballers trying to survive on £50k a week during a cost of living crisis. They all love the game and would play it for nothing……except they wouldn’t
Or play them and get the best put of them maybe with a promise of.bonus if we go up. They will get us back up rather than buying championship standard players. A good man manager like Redlnapp or Clough could pull them together