Martin deal has proviso

[Footymad]

Chris Martin's proposed move to Sunderland only on if certain conditions are met - External Link

[MadAmster]

..... have they done this to try and force a sale rather than a loan?

[roger_ramjet]

hopefully

[AdiSalisbury]

What is the benefit of a loan to us? Surely we'd be better getting a decent fee whilst he's still got a long contract? Otherwise, might as well keep him.

[StensonRam]

I suspect it's about getting sunderland to pay his wages for 18 months so we can then brings others in, my guess is we're sailing close to FFP and can't afford his wages if he stops like you say and that of new signings too

[roger_ramjet]

I guess if we assume that we wont get any decent fee for him now, then loan him out to get wages covered and get him game time, hoping that his 15 goals between now and the end of the year with the other club will attract attention and increase his value (or indeed convince the loanee club to trigger a pre agreed purchase clause).

Didn't quite work out that way with Fulham though.

Those out there still convinced that he is a valuable saleable asset worth 8-10 million will doubtless disagree, but to my mind, if he isnt in first team squad reckoning (which buying Jerome must confirm) and nobody is coming in with an offer to buy, but rather just loan, then take what you can get and hope he regains his mojo in a setting more suited to his style of play.

I think the problem arose when he was loaned to Fulham when his market value was perhaps more justified after two good seasons with us. His petulance at not being allowed back when SM returned, and the inflated new contract, have left us us with a millstone around our neck under yet another manager who does not see his talents fitting into out style.

Keeping him would just allow the value to fall still further as he sits invisibly, not even on the bench, and his lack of playing time would not allow his potential attraction to others to fall again.

Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and say thanks for past work

[ramAnag]

Seems bizarre. The guy is obviously still a major asset to any side which plays to his strengths but in eigh**** months time he’ll be the ‘wrong’ side of thirty and harder to sell. I understand that getting his alleged £30k weekly wage bill off the books will obviously be advantageous...to the tune of approaching two and a half million quid, but we seem to be missing a trick here and there is perhaps something going on that we are all unaware of. Confusing to say the least and one hell of a contrast to what was happening twelve months ago.

[roger_ramjet]

Seems bizarre. The guy is obviously still a major asset to any side which plays to his strengths

But this in itself is his very weakness. You cannot build a promotion winning side around one player any more than Tottenham can win with just Harry Kane etc. Even Neymar needs players around him to make full use of his skills

[StensonRam]

Building a team around one player makes it easy for your opponents, how many times did teams take Martin out the game and we became toothless up front, that doesn't happen now

[ramAnag]

Wouldn't disagree with either of the above comments, but there is a difference between ‘building a team around one player’ and recognising attributes and playing to those strengths. Personally I’ll just be glad when it’s all sorted and we stop paying out £30k per week to someone who has contributed so little for around eigh**** months now...but that doesn’t suddenly make him a bad player.