Quote Originally Posted by MadAmster View Post
Martin's a poor example as he left for the same price we paid for him, nowt. Waghorn leaving is, as you say, probably down to us no longer being able to pay him what he wants.

I can't find it at the moment but I saw a list online a few months back of players we'd bought for a few million and who left us for nowt over recent seasons. There was 40 odd million in incoming transfers of players, all of whom left on a free.

My point, which you seem to be missing, is that, if we looked annually at the players we have, how they are doing, how they fit in with the style, value for money.......... and decided who was likely to still be wanted 3 years down the road and give them an extension on their contracts and try to unload the ones we don't want. That way players don't get to the situation where they have just one season left on their contracts and decide that they're happy to stay for that last season and then get to leave on a free and thereby negotiate higher signing on bonus for themselves. My suggestion was to stop allowing contracts to run down by doing something about it.

Question. Is my idea of annually running the rule over the squad and offering players we are likely to want to keep an extension and unloading those we are less enamoured with a good idea? It's one used at many Dutch clubs.
I would say that is what generally happens at clubs, but can be complicated if a team is having a poor season, as we were and a player wont sign an extension whilst relegation is a possibility. Or if a team is in with a chance of promotion and the club would not want to extend a players contract if that were the case, as they dont rate hm for the prem and need to offload players to bring others in.

Then of course there is the added complication of swapping managers every season, its highly likely that a new manager won't fancy some or indeed many of the players that had contracts extended under the previous manager!

Add in FFP, can't increase wages on an extended contract until another player leaves at the end of a season and its not quite as simple as you make it out to be.

I mean have Derby actually had a plan thats lasted for more than 6 months in the past 3 years?