Nolan’s contract negotiations stall – player considering his future
Posted on June 5th, 2011 | 51 Comments |
According to The Mirror, Kevin Nolan is having difficulty getting a new contract out of the club.
He has two years left on his current contract and was supposedly in talks to extend that by at least another two years, however it seems to 28 year-old has been told that there will be no further contract discussions for him until the end of next season.
The Mirror alleges that this now has Nolan reluctantly considering his future with the club.
Now before we get carried away, I should point out that there are no direct quotes in the Mirror’s article and it all comes from ‘sources close to the player’, so it could just as easily be a load of garbage intended to whip up a storm at our club. It wouldn’t be the first time the press have done that.
However, it does seem odd that a few weeks ago we were hearing all sorts of noises about Nolan entering into contract negotiations and then nothing further was heard.
Nolan’s wage bill will no doubt be large and we’re all aware that reducing the wage bill is a long-term aim of the club, but we’re talking about our captain here and a player that umpteen others have come out to praise as being a great influence on them.
Of course Joey Barton was recently placed in a similar position. Well, actually he was placed in a worse position because the club did not even tell him they’d open contract negotiations at the end of next season (as far as I know).
This is of course all against what Alan Pardew has insisted all along, which is that he wanted to secure the services of the likes of Nolan and Barton as a priority.
Is this all part of an ongoing policy to rid the club of hefty wage bills? Is there some specific disapproval at a high level for Nolan and/or Barton? Or is it just a load of hogwash invented by the press to stir up trouble?
So what do you think? Any truth in this? If so, what does it mean for the club?
He has 2 years left on his contract, aye?
What’s the rush?