If Steel was on a free at the season end part of the agreement would be to sign him on his current wages for a year or more and together with the rest of this season thats almost half a million pounds. A lot of brass for a second string Goalkeeper.
What's second string about Luke Steele? Nowt from what I've seen. If he continued to play like he has done there's no way I'd drop him for another goalkeeper. And I think we've got to be realistic about Muller's injury. If we see him again this year I'd be very, very surprised. We need two good 'keepers, just like every other club has. Gerrim signed ffs.
If we'd signed a striker of comparable talent and impact on the team This place would already be in flames with us not signing him permanently.</p> I hope this isn't some mis-placed loyalty to Herr Muller, the bloke who was on the look out for a move to the Prem.......</p>
West Brom are very good at PR They basically try and blackmail us into taking over his contract, then paint a picture to the national press, of how we've ruined the lads chances of playing at Wembley when we refuse to bend over for them! Dont blame the club one bit for telling them where to shove it and looking elsewhere, just wish Davey's statement wasnt only publicised in the local press.
Basically we dont know whats happening everyone is jumping to some sort of conclusion.. just wait until our website actually publishes something
RE: If we'd signed a striker of comparable talent and impact on the team Even if he is on 8K per week, which I doubt, and even if we have to pay that wage for another year, which I can't understand as we're not allowed to sign anyone at the moment, then that equals £400k. The same amount as we paid for Mostto, who is currently back in the home country and that's before we consider Mostto's wages. Christ knows how much money we've wasted on Johnson, Mattis, Ricketts and Christensen. But we won't sign a player who is a first team shoe in? A player who has made us millions with his exploits against Liverpool. I'm at a complete loss.
RE: If we'd signed a striker of comparable talent and impact on the team There must be more to it than 'wages'.</p> imho WBA are being cheeky cnts saying they'll extend his loan but only if we agree to a permanent signing - irrespective of the fact I think he's a top quality keeper on what I've seen when he's played for us.</p> He can't play against WBA should we both get to the final so why they're putting caveats in any loan agreement I don't know, unless they're thinking of a quick way to help getting the wage bill down if they don't go up this season and the parachute payments dry up ?</p>
They probably are looking at getting him off the wage list But if they're offering him to us on a free transfer then I don't see how we can lose. He already looks to be worth far more than the cost of his contract.
Alternatively Dirk If we are been held to ransom on this deal, I wouldn't want us to show blind loyalty to Steele based on him doing the job he is paid to do. I know his goalkeeping was nothing short of World Class against Liverpool, but I think all this "look how much money he's made us" talk is rubbish. He's not done bad himself out of this cup run as there's probably a queue of teams sniffing around now as oppose to nobody when we took him on. I agree he's a top quality keeper, but IF his agent is using his FA Cup display as a means for getting him a ridiculous pay hike, that he wouldn't have been able to agree prior to Liverpool, then we do right not to agree.
If the club has a strict wage stucture, then i can see why they will balk at breaking it by paying the £8K a week. Then theres the knock on effect of other members of the squad coming forward and making waves by anting their pay to be on a par with his. Before we know it there could be 6/7 other players unsettled because they are on half his wages... Of course, it might not be about his wages at all....
