Arsene Wenger says he wants Theo Walcott to stay at Arsenal but admits that a new deal is not close and that the player is ‘difficult’ when it comes to contract negotiations.
The winger’s deal runs until June 2016, meaning he’ll reach a stage this summer where Arsenal have to make a decision: Do they keep talking in the hope that he’ll sign – bearing in mind he was less than 6 months from the end of his last contract before he put pen to paper; or do they look to cash in on a player who could leave for free in a year’s time.
There was a hint of sarcasm to the Arsenal manager’s words as he revealed the process had begun, saying, “The first contacts have been established with the embassy. We will see how that progresses politically.
“Walcott was difficult to convince [for his previous contract] and that is why it took us much time. We started very early with him but it was slow progress.
“He is very quick on the pitch but off the pitch, not always.”
Theo hasn’t played much recently, leading to speculation that contract issues might be a factor, but Wenger says he wants him to stay and to fight for his place in the team.
“I want him to stay and be a regular player and fight for his place,” he said.
“But no matter where you go, if it is a big club, you have to compete for your place. We went to Manchester United on Monday night – look at what they had on the bench.
“Look at what was sitting on the bench at Chelsea v Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night. That is part of the job.”
However, he did admit that time on the bench was likely to affect the player’s decision whether or not to renew his deal.
“Of course,” said the Frenchman when asked if that might come into play, “I bought Sánchez and Welbeck because you are responsible for a club and when you know a player is out for a year and will not play until January, you cannot sacrifice the first six months.
“Then, Giroud was injured and was ruled out for four months – people don’t want to know how long they will be out, they want players to play.”
It does feel as if the manager is throwing down something of a gauntlet to Walcott whose bargaining position is not as strong as it was the last time he renewed his deal.
However, he says his absence from the team is down to caution over his recovery from the cruciate injury more than anything else.
“He is ready now to play games. But when a player has been out for a year, when he comes back he always thinks he is ready. When you speak to him three weeks later and ask him if he thinks he really was ready [before] he says, ‘Now I realise, no’.
“I have been holding him back because he has been out for a long time and for the fact there is intense competition.”
This has the makings of a saga, folks. Expect this one to run on for quite a while yet.
A hint of sarcasm?
More like a kick in the nuts of sarcasm.
I want Walcott to stay in the club. We are definitely challenging for the title next season and we need all the fire-power we can get.
Ox is coming in leaps and bounds but his injury record is worrying and he is not your regular double-figure goal scorer.
Dicey situation though but I hope both parties can come to terms without much fuss.
I would be sad to see him go.
“He is very quick on the pitch but off the pitch, not always.”
I don’t think this was just comment about the contract situation
That’s what Melanie said too. XD
AW will sell him.He is just not the ideal player to have when the going gets tough and his injury record is a problem.
All those who say he is crucial to the club should remember those postings just before the last contract when he was being slaughtered for being lazy.Nothing has changed.He is still a luxury and certainally in the few cameos he had not got involved.
Sign him on our terms or get rid and take the money
I disagree. Even though he can be incredibly frustrating, particularly since he’s returned from injury, i think the fa cup game against spurs proved he can be a seriously difficult man to play against. From memory he was my man of the match, despite not scoring, and he pulled their defence all over the place allowing huge amounts of space for others with intelligent movement that I’m still yet to see from welbeck. Fairly sure even his link up play was pretty good. clearly he’s no longer first choice, but as far as an option off the bench I can… Read more »
Sorry, but you’re comparing Walcott’s only strengths against Welbeck. Pace and intelligent movement. Walcott is always waiting for the forward ball, and if Welbeck were not to mark the opposing full-back, he could easily do the same. Post injury, Walcott has either gotten slower or is unsure about a no-holds barred sprint, because there have been 2-3 instances where he hasn’t taken on the full-back. Walcott offers nothing defensively. Link-up play from Walcott is seen once in 6-7 matches, nowhere close enough to make him a regular starter. The only area where Walcott is clearly ahead of Welbeck is finishing,… Read more »
He’s a player who often has a ‘good run’ as in a good six matches or maybe eight. But he’s never been a dominant figure for a whole season; or even close to it. He’s injury prone – although that’s hardly unique with us – and often flatters to deceive.
Having said all that, I’d prefer him to stay. But not at any price. His behaviour in past contract negations has been pretty shoddy. As the blog says – if he doesn’t sign by June 1st onto the transfer list, he should go.
He’s gonna go I think. Just sell him abroad please. He’ll definitely score against us.
He’s a Liverpool fan right? I would happily trade him for Sterling. Both of them would have found their appropriate level.
To be completely honest, I’d rather Sturridge than Sterling. We’ve got all the creators we need, if we’re bringing in an attacker, let’s get a lethal finisher.
Wouldn’t go anywhere near sterling. He’s just a kid and already demanding some serious funny money.
Theo has been Arsenal fan since childhood I heard before. Personally, I disapprove of Arsene using game time to make a point about contract negotiations again. I am not a fool. he played Theo right after injury and he scored goals and now not at all. Theo only gave perhaps a very good sixth months to the club since he signed three years ago. Him pushing for contract improvement may annoy the manager but team selection must always be about quality.
Question the managers authority and you are finished at Arsenal regardless of the good of the club, as many have found out. Its why we have so few former players back at the club and why so many who have worked under him are so quick to put the boot into Wenger when given the opportunity
Really ????? Name all these former players who put the boot into Wenger. Apart from Stewart Robson I can’t think of any.
Here we go again…!
yeah, but this time we are not desperate. No way he even deserves a raise on his last contract because he hasn’t improved since then. Walcott does not deserve more money than Ozil, Sanchez, Welbeck, or even Giroud on form right now.
I wonder if the manager is sick of the off-field tactics from the Walcott camp. PSG or Citeh would probably spend over the moon for him, which might be goo business in the FFP world.
During the last negotiations “these things take time” I was genuinely concerned that’d he’d leave for another PL club. This time however, I couldn’t give a shit. Fuck off, stay, I don’t care. I don’t think any other Arsenal player has irritated me quite as much as him and his no brain approach to playing football. He’s at his best when the ball takes a strange deflection and he can get to it quicker than anyone else, but not with enough time to think.
Actually, no, just go.
That’s a bit harsh, but it’s difficult to have much patience with it after last time. At least he doesn’t have us over a barrel. You’d think after collecting £100K a week to use our state of the art recovery facilities, the guy would want to show a little gratitude.
Yeah, but harsh in word maybe, but the sentiment remains. I can’t quite work out what exactly he’s done to warrant such a strong position in negotiations. Yeah he’s very fast, but he’s frustratingly unreliable in front of goal and seems to create an imbalance with his lack of defensive awareness/ability.
We have the draw power and the bank account to replace him with a decent player who wants to play for the team, especially on the wage he gets now. He better wake up and smell the coffee to that fact.
Yes we have the draw and money to replace him but will we with the Ox, Welbeck and with Gnabry coming back. Going by previous I doubt it.
I feel that in Gnabry and Chamberlain, we will have two genuine options in Theo’s position by next season (if both stay fit). We know he’s technically limited, but like Coquelin, if he would focus on what he’s good at and put in a shift like the rest of the team does, he will be playing regularly.
I think theo has under achieved and wouldn’t be particularly upset if he went but he has been top scorer in the past which I don’t see the ox becoming and no chance gnabry could. If he stays he will be a sub more than regular first 11 pick which shows the progress in quality of our squad. At last!
Couldnt disagree with you more.. before his injury theo was lethal. He was productive, working tirelessly and had a 20 goal season. Hes come along way since he was just the boy he could run a 10 second 100 metres. Some people forget just how good and important theo was for us before injury
He was so important because we didn’t have anyone else. Now there’s Gnabry, the Ox, Welbeck and even Podolski (who is more lethal, and equally weak on defence). Did he ever score a winner against a big team? How often did he miss sitters?
We Arsenal have short memories. Not just Theo, Ramsey saved an entire season for the club and is now just a bad player fort some of us.
Wow, the sarcasm referring to “the embassy” is so not Wenger. He obviously has a grievance with the way Theo does his business. Oh, and of course cue an amazing glut of goals and assists from Theo during negotiations. God, I never used to be this cynical!
However, MAYBE just maybe, this time around Wenger had laid down the gauntlet. You sign, or you wont play for us, EVER again 😀
True, and I seem to remember last time the second fastest player in our squad was a fat, lazy arshavin (man, remember how slow that squad was?!) so with Sanchez, Welbeck and Gnabry coming back, we’re in a totally different negotiating situation. I think he now needs to prove to everyone at AFC that’s he’s worth another +100k a week contract.
If we can upgrade on the flank and create better competition for places, and the contract saga ends, i’d be cool with that. However, if Arsenal sell Walcott in the summer, will we be able to upgrade on him and buy a better player in the same summer? Thats my real concern. We’ve gotten better in the transfer market in recent years, but im still not filled with confidence in our efficiency. Maybe we could use the money to clone Alexis, and have him on both flanks.
The better player is already part of the club and goes by the name Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Despite being older, this is who Walcott should be copying or emulating. He needs to pull his socks up, take his finger out and realise just scoring the odd goal isn’t enough anymore.
Sanchez, Welbeck and Chamberlain all work harder on the wings and this is why they are first choices and trusted in those positions right now.
I like Ox but is he the better player? Recent performances say yes (though as Wenger says, you have to take into account Walcott was out for a fricking year!). But the stats say no. You also forget Walcott worked very hard before his injury.
Except that goal-scoring bit.
Pedro is decent right? Don’t know if he is available though
Wenger at his impish best. I think he has a spring in his step this week too.
He’s really got to pull his finger out of his ass. We need to see him work harder for the team and contribute more during a game. We now have plenty of options so If he fucks about with the contract this time I think we should cash in.
Walcott has always seemed like a good fella in interviews and even his attitude on the pitch seems pretty good (lack of tracking back another issue.) I hope he does decide to stay but he does indeed need to compete for his place. He will I’m sure.
Walcott is probably not good enough to start for Arsenal, but it still concerns me because he is unstoppable in FIFA. And for some reason, Ox and Welbeck are both poor man’s Walcotts in that game. They need to bump those guys up a few points before I’d be okay with losing Theo.
Walcott was good enough to start for us when he got 21 goals and 14 assists a couple of seasons ago. Something Ox and Welbeck have never done, as much as I like them.
It’s not just about scoring goals and assisting that makes a player great. The way Arsenal have set up in recent times is to be more defensive somethimg which isn’t suited to Walcotts style of play hence the length of time on the bench
I dunno, playing on the counter attack would seem to suit him perfectly, as long as he’s willing to defend.
Exactly! And as I recall, Walcott WAS tracking back before his injury. There’s nothing to suggest that he can’t do it again
Are you seriously basing your opinions on what some saddle wearing geek of a programmer has conjured up in a darkened room at ea sports?? Get off the couch and see real life, it’s amazing out here!
*sandle
He was fucking joking genius
Really? Thanks for the steer Magnus
*ken
This is a much different situation than last time. We couldnt afford to let him leave, at a time where all of our big players were going towards the exit. Theo basically held all the cards. This time around theo isnt the main man at arsenal anymore.
Would be very sad to let him leave as i love the guy, but this time the club has alot more power in the negotiations at a time when more super stars are coming into the club rather than the opposite direction.
Just SIGN DA THING already.
You are wearing the legendary number 14.
Had a tremendous season in 12/13
I bet you could do it again Theo.
We love you. So please stay.
It’d be such a shame if you leave.
So FFS, just SIGN THE THING!!
Sell him, always left a bad taste in my mouth after the last round of contract negotiations. He always believed he was better than he is too.
He always comes across as slightly arrogant to me. When talking about other players at the club like Alexis and Welbeck he always brings the topic back to himself by essentially saying that I’m excited at the thought of them playing with me.
Really hope he stays and develops but I can’t help but remember the times he demanded to play centrally and take all those awful free kicks ahead of people like arteta and cazorla. The Ox has developed more than him in a shorter time.
The answer to this is Serge Gnabry. if he can stay fit.
someone should do an updated remix to this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPBm-GvEVlg
Theo loves arsenal, he may not be a big shot now but he was immense in the f.a cup to the point he got injured. he understands the spurs rivalry better than anyone else and he is our only big game player. We need him.
You mean, except for all the other playes that have done well in big games.
I can’t be the only one doubting his love due to how hard the negotiations always are, you think Jenks would prevaricate and posture to get a little more dough?
Call me bitter after the last saga. But if we could sell him to a foreign club I wouldn’t be upset.
I just can’t see Theo staying with us for longer than this season. Maybe, it’s best for both parties concerned.
Wenger playing hardball and mind games too, having him strip up only to put Aaron on. I love so much about Theo but at this point have to concede the limitations in his game – often dreadful first touch, inability to cross a ball consistently, zero ability to take on somebody when he has the ball, etc are never going to improve and make him expendable with our current squad and system.
to be blunt, walcott hasnt made a case for a paycheck bump or first eleven guarantee. If the club does offer him a chance, let him take it. Going by our options at the flanks, arsene is generous to offer him a contract considering his injury record and that on 100k a week.
I like theo and would have him stay and fight for his place, earn it and establish his status as an arsenal legend. But if he decides to leave, then by all means.
If Theo was playing at the beginning of this season, scoring in addition to Sanchez, we would still be in contention for the title. I am convinced lot of those draws against smaller teams would have been wins.
Theo is one of our longest serving players and currently our highest current goal scorer by a margin.
He carries himself well and has never had a bad thing to say about the club. In my opinion he is also one of the most exciting, if somewhat limited, natural goalscorers in the league. He has improved and is young enough to continue to improve. Injuries have also held him back.
Taking all this into account in not sure what he has done to earn all the haters that pop out of the woodwork.
I for one, hopes he stays.
Ox is more versatile than Theo and has more ability in my opinion. At one time Theo was our only really quick striker but not now. He needs to get his head down and work hard on improving some aspects of his game to show Arsene he’s committed to the cause. Maybe then he’ll get more game time and the two sides will work it out. If he’s not willing to do that then it may be au revoir.
Two seasons ago he was crucial to us. He signed the contract extension based on our future performance. Since Wenger has brought in the more nuanced Alexis and with the development of the more technical Ox, our dependency on Walcott has been lessen. If he leaves, there will be less impact and we will/can load up with another creative player (preferably left footed) safe in the knowledge we also have Akpom and Gnabry incubating and Campbell (depending on loan performance) is still keen to do a Coquelin. So if he leaves fine. If he stays also fine so long as… Read more »
Of course the best way for Walcott to negotiate improved contract would be to score for us this weekend and midweek next week when we need goals. I don’t think he is as much a liability defending as many have made him out to be but he may have difficulty keeping up performance through the full 90. Where Walcott is quick running to a ball punted forward, Ox is quick with ball at feet. Therein lies the difference. Walcott thrives in space but most of our opponents will not cede us luxury of that sort of real estate. This is… Read more »
If he tries the same tactics as the last time and delays on signing the contract offered then sell him – he’s on a massive wage for an average player and can be replaced very well for the money we’ll get and wages we can offer.
Wow, some of these comments are ridiculous. Walcott was our best player a couple of seasons ago and now you’re all acting like you don’t wanna know. Even Wenger said that he still isn’t ready after the injury, you guys have just forgotten how good he was. Ox better than Walcott? I think Ox is incredible but get back to me when he gets 20 goals in a season. Actually, scratch that, get back to me when he gets double figures. That sounds harsh but that’s surely the benchmark
I’d keep him personally but tell him to work on defensive duties. You can’t compare him to serge or ox he’s too different a player. I’d keep him and give him more time as a striker to give giroud some rest, let him compete with welbeck as our fast striker option in addition to back up width.
It seems a long time since Theo has produced anything like the quality back in, was it 2009(?), against Liverpool in the CL? He’s probably more effective and efficient than he used to be but it still feels like something is missing from his game. If it’s true that Wenger let Podolski go because he couldn’t support two defensively poor wingers/strikers in the squad then I’d rather have him back and let Theo go. My reasons are thus: first, Podolski clearly wants to stay here, he removed any permanent deal clauses in his Inter contract; second, Theo appeared to consider… Read more »
No, He should stay. I’m a dreamer but in a perfect world, Theo would knuckle down, work hard, and force his way back into the team. He’s had periods where he was scoring for fun and terrorizing defenses. I like how Wenger is playing this. If Theo isn’t up for the fight, he should go. But he should battle. On his day, he’s hard to keep out of any team. If he’s not willing, then it’s his fault, there are obviously other options that are quite tasty
You lost me on “It seems a long time since Theo has produced anything like the quality back in, was it 2009(?), against Liverpool in the CL?”
20 goals in a season not worth shit in your book?
I mean the specific, anus-tearing skill that he showed on that occasion. Yes, 20 goals is a great return but we have quite a few players capable of tucking goals away. Again, Sanchez is approaching that this season. I’m specifically after the moments that can turn huge games. What does Walcott give us that Sanchez can’t?
And further to that because i’m not explaining myself well: if Walcott is playing brinkmanship games over lack of playing time and/or wages then I think we can do better. I’m happy enough to see him stay but if he’s going to dick about over a new contract then I’ve had enough. But who gives a fuck what I think? It’s all down to Wenger.
Be a man theo,fight for your place or go.
sell him. fast but a luxury player who doesnt help defense like the other wide options
I’ll add my voice to that. He played hardball last time because A. He wanted to play striker, and B. He wanted to be in a team who fights for titles. Now he has to realize that a team that realistically fights for the premiership does not have a player like himself on the wings or up front every game of the season. Either get on board with the fact he now has to step up if he wants to play or be sold.
make a trade with either dortmund or schalke, theo for reus or draxler
Reus would be the ideal replacement, essentially Walcott with added technique.
Guys, if you can see his limitations then so can Dortmund and Schalke. You might think it would be smart to trade up (assuming he is as limited as some people here say), but do you seriously think they would want to trade down (assuming he is as limited as some people here say) ? Too much wishful thinking and FIFA 15 thinking going on over this subject. The reality is that we’ll either sell him to Liverpool for cash, or if we are smarter we’ll sell him to some midtable PL team for cash. Whichever we do, he will… Read more »
Considering that all we have is a few snarky comments from Wenger, it’s a bit quick to be calling Stay or Go with Theo. He was very strong for a bit 1&2 yrs ago before injury, but we have also changed the style of play and players of focus since then, and he’s still far from fully back. Theo will never be a successful lone center striker with this team because he cannot play physical, pull down aerial duels, and play back to goal. Welbeck is fairly quick as well, taller and more physical, and then there is his work… Read more »
Well said. I have already mentioned I do not like the tone taken by the club- it’s simply not needed. Like you, I am actually on the fence…Walcott has talent but needs to up his game. However, if things are deteriorating negotions wise, I prefer discretion which is not being brought to the fore by underlining there is a problem. If it’s time for him to move on create a better more positive perception and hopefully get another couple of million for him. As I have noted before, that provides for another Beilik that can be bought to the club,… Read more »
Does anyone have a video of that press conference?
I think walcott has pace and a decent end product. Since we have ceded possession like City away, walcott has been less imp to us.
The bigger question that perplexes me is should all players be made to work in an industrious way or can an exception be made for someone who brings more cutting edge to the team but lacks defensive ability?
That’s a really good question and I think it possibly explains why Walcott scores more goals than Ox and Welbeck. Simply put, Walcott puts more of his effort getting into goal scoring opportunities. What we’re asking for is someone to score as many goals as Theo but work as hard as Welbeck and dribble like Ox. You might say that guy is Sanchez but it’s no coincidence that Sanchez’ form has dropped as we’ve looked to become more rigid, formation-wise. As hard as Sanchez works, he thrives off freedom and it’s hard to track fullbacks when you’re always chasing the… Read more »
Last season there was an anecdote on the Tuesday Club where Alan Davies said he asked Wenger at a dinner what was taking so long during the last negotiations and Wenger broke out singing “money money money” by ABBA. So I don’t think it’s terribly surprising that Wenger is a bit annoyed. As mentioned above we have the ability to sell and buy at the top band of the market. The bonus is that we no longer get held over the proverbial barrel. That said I’d like him to stay he has a dynamic that we miss even with the… Read more »
I’d like him to stay, but not with a hefty pay increase. We want competition for the starting positions and even if he is not in the first choice 11, he can certainly be a great impact sub.
Look at Theo’s season before his injury. Twenty goals. He’s out nearly a year plays a few matches and starts scoring and then is dropped. It will take welbeck three years to score twenty goals. Ox, while he is improving, isn’t yet a goal scorer. They are different players than Walcott. To lose Theo’s goals will hurt us. Plus our players always get injured so we need numerous wingers. Wenger is crazy not to pay him. We have two of the richest owners in football. They can afford it.
Two of the richest owners may be true. But one has no say in anything, even though he speaks sense and owns a 30% stake. The other is an absolute cunt, who despite having a net worth well into the billions, and has already made a significant profit on his investments, has decided to put his fingers in the till, so far only to the tune of £3million, but with our operating profits set to hit around £90mill p/a, before you take into account CL revenue increasing by 30% next season, and PL broadcasting revenue increasing by around 80%the following… Read more »
Fuck that.
I don’t want Arsenal to become another penis extension, we stand on our own two feet or not at all.
Theo before his injury, was our second best finisher after podolski. People seem to be forgetting he and ozil had a good understanding before he got injured. Yes the ox and gnabry might be more skillful, but they aren’t half the finisher theo is.
With Giroud supposed job being to bring/create chances for our mid, we need theo. If wenger is going to sell him, he has to be replaced.
Except for Alexis and probably giroud, we do not have any other player that can get us more than 20 goals a season.
If I aint wrong,he has been at Arsenal for at least 5 to 8 years.During this time he has been seriously injured at least two to five times after a brilliant game.
Arsenal cannot afford to give him any more time to prove his worth.
Now that Wenger has the money,any one not proving himself after a reasonable period of
time has to go.Otherwise Arsenal will be unable to compete for the top prizes.
this is actually his tenth season as an arsenal player, signing in january 2006 as a 16 year old. In that time he has played 290 games scoring 72 goals. Thats about a goal every 4 games. since the start of 2010/11 season he has played 154 games scoring 54 goals, at a rate of one goal every 2.85 games. If you look at his goals per minute stats it would look even better. I think its worth considering that almost all of his appearances have been on the wing,
It’s funny how someone who used to be (virtually) the only runner with such a frightening pace is now being considered as a liability by some many people around here. It is true that the Ox, Alexis, and Welbz provide what Theo does plus defensive stability, but that doesn’t give us any excuse to turn blind to his contributions in the past, or the threat he still possesses. The contract situation, however, is quite different i think. I can hardly see him fitting directly into any of the “top teams” around. He’ll still get pretty much of playing time even… Read more »
so many*
Yes English is not my first language but it is embarrassing.
Mr.Blogs, “Edit” option could hardly do any bad 🙁
the # 14 jersey goes to Paulo Dybala. Its settled.
couldn’t agree more with Victor! if he wants to leave, sell him and replace with “the next Aguero “. in the Ox and Gnabry we’ve got capable hands via his wing!
Suppose he left. Who in the BPL would be in for him and who would we prefer to sell him to?
For me the only viable option for him is Liverpool.
What a coincident, I’m listening to “In too deep – Genesis” while reading this.
The song sums it all up.
Oh my, don’t let Blogs know!
Nah man, as most may know, I have utterly inappropriate feelings towards Theo, but nobody is bigger than the club. If he feels he can hold the club to ransom and act like he’s the big cheese, he can fuck right off. Nobody is bigger than Arsenal.
I love Theo, he is lethal in a front 3 when fully fit and confident. I still believe if given the chance he can be a real threat down the middle also,
But I can see Wenger already making early plans for life without Theo,
An extra £100k + available on the wage bill plus we would probably get at least £25 million for him.
I just get the feeling Wenger will let this one role knowing predicting that Theo will look for a move elsewhere and all parties will be ok if that happens.
Sad though !
I think this is straightforward. If he has not signed a new contract by the end of the season sell him to the highest bidder.
He is a decent player, with pace, is in his prime and carries English premium. In a market inflated by the new TV deal he would easily be worth £35-40 million.
Invest that in someone who wants to be at Arsenal, who can defend from the front and be a menace to congested defences as well as pose a threat on the break when games are stretched.
So he has one year left on his contract, he’s just back for a year long injury and he would be worth from 35 to 40 million? He is worth more than Sanchez?
I think people are overshooting here and its not being helped by Wenger painting him as a ‘problem child’.
A season ago we were bitting our nails if theo was out injured and now we are saying he is excess to our requirments
What a difference a year makes to football
Theo was awesome against spuds in the FA cup and, before he got injured, I thought with him and giroud up front we would win the league and fa cup – injuries hampered that dream!!! Guess what I am saying is play Walcott against Monaco, as you can tell he is chomping at the bit, and let him release his frustration on them – if he gets us through to the next round give him a pay rise!!!
This is the problem with signing posh players.