I’m a bit surprised no-one has mentioned this in the comments, but the Mirror are suggesting that IF we survive this season, we’ll be offering Christian Benteke a pay rise.
No surprise there, I suppose, but what I found of interest was that we will possibly offer him up to double his current (speculated) £20k a week.
In other words, we’ll offer up to £40k a week.
Now, I’m a constant critic of the money in football, what with the stupidly high ticket prices and even more obscene wages the players get.
And even though I’ve previously said I think Benteke will stay next year, I now think we’ve got no chance whatsoever of keeping him, even if we do survive. Even more so, if Arsenal are genuinely interested in him, as we know they’re good payers and will dwarf the £40k we might offer him.
While I can already hear the shouts that £40k is really good money for someone who’s in his very early twenties, we have to consider that he’s a fantastic prospect and probably one of the best in the British game at the moment.
I certainly don’t think this is a “one-off” season for him and I doubt perspective managers of interested clubs will either, so there’s little risk in laying out decent money for him in my opinion.
No doubt there will also be shouts of derision that it’s a total BS story, all negative, because that’s all we do on this site.
Fair enough, it’s a point I can’t argue, save to say I’m not always negative (I’ve predicted a draw tomorrow in the previous thread, for example).
But if it’s anywhere near the truth, I’d suggest it’s a very good indicator of how far the club and it’s owner’s ambition/ability to compete have fallen.
Sometimes you have to invest to achieve things and I’d say this is a very good example, where we should do exactly that.
Of course, we still have the cloud of Weimann hanging over us too.
We really, really need to stay up this season.
It’s just a talking point after a period of very little news, so go easy eh?
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/aston-villa-offer-christian-benteke-1739146
Good spin by the Villa PR machine, make it seem we are interested, try and boost Benteke’s price. The annual report summary we had on Friday proves we have to sell.
Not many we could sell for a lot of cash, BEnteke was only here to do well and sell high.
Ian, we only have to sell if Lerner doesn’t want to invest, is my point.
Sadly, I don’t think you’re wrong though.
“BEnteke was only here to do well and sell high.”
I’m not convinced about that, as it suggests that Lerner is willing to invest/gamble after all. No-one knew that he’d be as big a success as he has been, did they?
yes, he had the prospects and we knew that at £7M for a 21 yo he was a talent.
Are they still going on about it? I accepted he is off next season when PL said that clubs will have to offer a good price for Benteke (rather then saying he is not for sale) in his interview a few weeks ago. Let’s just hope the club will stand firm and get a good price for him.
If we stay up and sell him then I will really will be fed up with the club. What is the point in being a club that is just satisfied with avoiding relegation each season. When did we go from being a club competing with Spurs to now being a club like Wigan. Im never one to agree with protest banners at matches or fans trying to cause upset during the season, as we are needed to support the team. However, at the end of the season, if we are selling instead of buying then surely its time we make our voices heard and let RL really know what we think of him. What is the point in nearly 100% (correct me if Im wrong) of supporters being unhappy but nothing being done about it?
“What is the point in nearly 100% (correct me if Im wrong) of supporters being unhappy but nothing being done about it?”
Good question.
The tone that’s consistently coming out of the club has worked very well, imo in that we’ve had our standards massively lowered and everyone seems resigned to our fate.
I don’t foresee mass protests at the end of the season, as Lerner has already proven that he won’t listen (the AM debacle).
No, instead of that, we’ll see people voting VERY strongly with their feet, imo.
Which is quite worrying, as the point Ian made the other night about turnover falling = even more cost cutting is quite valid.
Personally I think that Benteke will be off at the end of the season whether we survive or not. To be honest I don’t think that he ever saw us as anything other than a stepping stone into the EPL. If he gets the whiff of a move to Citeh or the Arse, we won’t see him for dust, contract or no contract, and a big money move (somewhere over £20 mill) may also well suit our illustrious owner’s agenda very nicely. I predict the following scenario;
1. Speculation will persist and build in the media between now and the end of the season, linking Benteke with City, Arse, the Spuds and probably a few others.
2. The player’s agent will start making real noises about him “wanting to be be the best, fulfill his potential, Chumps league ambition” etc etc.
3. Villa will in turn make noises about ” player under contract, wanting to keep our star assets at any price, building for the future” etc etc, and offer him a much more lucrative deal, probably in the expectation that it will almost certainly not actually be taken up.
4. Situation between the player and the club will deteriorate as the frenzy builds, with Benteke possibly throwing a strop for effect.
5. After a couple of weeks’ stand-off, Benteke will get his “dream move” to (insert name of club here).
6. As Lerner’s mouthpiece Faulkner weeps bucketloads of crocodile tears and tries to appease fans with “we did everything we possibly could to keep the player, but he was dead set on moving” comments, Lerner pockets cheque for £25 mill or so, and gives (insert name of manager here) £2-3 mill to buy a replacement.
Naturally, the above scenario is dependent upon Benteke not sustaining a very serious injury between now and the end of the season, in which case, he will, of course, be delighted to continue his existing contractual arrangement with the club until further notice.
Okay, maybe I’m being cynical, but sadly I can see something along these lines panning out. It just seems to be football these days.
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Lets get this season out of the way first, i dont think anyone is discussing new deals until the club has avoided/is relegated.
I am of the belief that when we play certain clubs rumours are put in the press to unsettle our players/fans, lets not fall for it.