Liverpool FC Forum

Posted: **Mon Jul 04, 2005 11:15 am**

If Stevie Gerrard is asking for £80,000 per week on a 2 or 3 year extension to his current contract then that is a big problem, and here's why.

There is a huge knock-on effect from this situation. £80,000 per week is way above what our wage structure will allow. It will bleed more and more money out of the club, money that could be used for wages of other players coming in to the club. Stevie want's Rafa to bring in more players of high quality yet has tightened to rope around Rafa's neck by limiting the funds.

In 2 or 3 years time we will be back here in the same situation. Stevie will be coming to the end of another contract and his demands will surely only ever get higher... if he has 3 more contracts before the end of his career he will be asking for £120k per week +. That is the problem with young players being hoisted up into superstar status by the media. Fame gets into their heads and their ego grows. The agents can demand £40,000 per week before their clients hit 20 years old. Then if that players remains a quality player he will be earning more and more throughout his career. To be successful you need young talent but you cannot keep offering a young player more and more money every time there's a new contract because by the time they are 25, before they've even peaked, they are the highest earners and there isn't enough cash.

And what about the other players?

Benitez is trying to maintain a team of equal players each as important as the next. How will they feel if they are match winners or key players, but only on £40,000 per week and Stevie Gerrard, who for large parts of the season isn't much better than anyone else, is earning double?

And Steven Gerrard wasn't even our best player last season. If he wants £80k per week then why shouldn't Carragher be on £90k per week? and then Alonso could be asking for similar wages... etc etc.. all of a sudden we have 10 players earning over £60,000 per week. That is impossible to fund.

This whole situation could end up blowing up in both Gerrards and our faces.

The way to get around this situation in the future is to offer much longer contracts and have buy-out clauses.

When Stevie was last offered a contract it should have been for 8 years. That way you know you have at least 5 years before any renegotiations need to be considered and the player will not leave on a free. If, after 5 years the wages leap from £40,000 per week to £60,000 per week then if you put him on another 8 year contract then is can not increase, therefore giving the club a more structured plan and more stability for a longer period of time. At any point during this contract time we could sell the player for the £40m asking price if we feel we won't be able to offer £80,000 after the next five years and you get to at least see the player hit his peak without having to pay excessive prices, (not that £60k per week is a normal wage!). If the player sees out his contract and leaves on a free, at least he'd be about 30 years old and we'd have gotten a lot of good use out of him.

Damn the agents. :angry:

Posted: **Mon Jul 04, 2005 11:29 am**

Slight diverson from the point but can anyone tell what time is todays press conference. ?

Posted: **Mon Jul 04, 2005 11:35 am**

just said his agent says that contract talks have broken down and are unlikely to re-open.

hes gone people

Posted: **Mon Jul 04, 2005 11:36 am**

He's gone his agents just spoke on SKY sports talks broke down and they will not be reopened.

Posted: **Mon Jul 04, 2005 11:43 am**

well lets look on... a replacement?

ballack anyone?
plus, we'll have millions to spend. so all faith in rafa.
and if stevie goes to chelski.... well i cant like the guy

Posted: **Mon Jul 04, 2005 11:46 am**

all the money on real madrid now... looking interesting. no one is putting money on it being chelsea sky sports are saying... so it could be worse...just

Posted: **Mon Jul 04, 2005 11:53 am**

woof woof ! wrote:Slight diverson from the point but can anyone tell what time is todays press conference. ?

12.30

Posted: **Mon Jul 04, 2005 11:58 am**

ok. a bookies point of view.
done some digging. absolutely everyone is lumping on real madrid to be stevies new home. no money going on chelsea but it looks like he really is gone. the agent has said it to sky sports and its all looking scary. but if we get 40 million then we can rebuild and show that stevie isnt the be all and end all of the club.

Just rememebr, owen left and we won the champs league... so who knows

wouldnt it be funny tho if at the press conference stevie came out and signed the contract in front of all cameras, a brilliant wind up and laughter all round

Posted: **Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:17 pm**

One player does not make a team.

I’m in work right now so I have to take it on your authority that his agent has indeed just spoken.

I’ll believe it when I see it myself, but in the meantime, I would just like to say that if Gerrard doesn’t want to sign a deal and is trying to fu*k the good name of Liverpool Football Club over by saying that the club are forcing him out, Gerrard can well and truly go and fu*k himself.

Whose eyes is he trying to pull the wool over? What are you crying about Stevie baby? £100,000 a week not enough for you is it? Say it to yourself, one hundred thousand pounds a week. Who’d seriously knock that back?

I suspect he wants to leave, rather than the club are forcing him out. If so, and I have said this a million times before, I will gladly wave him goodbye and shut the door behind him. If he doesn’t want to play for us, which is clearly obvious, I don’t want him at the club.

Even all this ‘our best player’ talk is a load of my ar$e. It’s clear even to me that Alonso is the player you would want to build your team around. As good as Gerrard is, hand on heart, who is the better player? I say we sell Gerrard ASAP and take the money and run. Build a team around Alonso, and lets ride on the momentum we have going.

Did you not see the way Valencia was playing two years ago? There was not a single weakness or flaw, not a team in Spain that could live with them. That was down to the excellence of one man, a manager who lives by the philosophy that you play football as a team, no big-time individual ego-driven superstars, and he had his eleven soldiers on the pitch, playing the kind of football that was the nearest thing to poetry in motion on a football field, and I solemnly predict that Steven Gerrard or not, he will have Liverpool playing this fast, one-touch total football we have not seen at Anfield since Rafael Benitez’ Valencia side annihilated us in 2002.

Gerrard, as a European Cup winning captain for Liverpool, you made each and every fan of this clubs’ dreams come alive. You will always be remembered for that.

If you feel in your heart that it’s time for you to move on, I can begrudgingly respect that. I can understand the motives of Steven Gerrard, professional footballer. It’s just the motives of Steven Gerrard, Liverpudlian, I can’t come to terms with.

Posted: **Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:23 pm**

Fo Benitez, this is not exactly new territory. When he went to Valencia, he booted out Mendieta, who was their captain and probably the best midfielder in Europe at the time for £30m. What effect did that have on Valencia? They won the League that very season.

Should we keep Gerrard? I’m quite confident Rafa approaches that question with his usual common sense. Pro Gerrard: He’s arguably our best player. The comeback against Milan would probably not have been possible without him. Against Gerrard: Last season we won more games when Gerrard was not playing. Maybe our team suffers a little bit when he’s playing. Maybe all the players including Stevie himself depend too much on Gerrard doing the job. Maybe the other players don’t take enough responsibility when he’s playing. If too much of our attacking game starts with Gerrard maybe our attacks tend to be a bit predictable. All things considered: Yes we should keep Gerrard , but not at any price.

Today Steven Gerrard is our captain. Therefore I support him no matter what the papers say, no matter what someone on here says. If he doesn’t sign a new contract we’d have to sell him. If so I’ll support our new captain. For the time being I’m not jumping on any bandwagons.

Posted: **Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:36 pm**

has anyone got the figures on last season with games involving stevie, and those without him?

Posted: **Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:42 pm**

where next?

from bbcsport

Steven Gerrard's long association with Liverpool looks set to end this summer.

The Reds skipper looks to have run out of patience with Liverpool and has ended talks over a new contract with the club.

Gerrard set to quit Anfield
There have also been newspaper reports of a training-ground bust-up with manager Rafael Benitez.

If the 25-year-old is to leave his beloved Anfield it is likely there will be no shortage of suitors for a player of Gerrard's standing.

Here BBC Sport looks at the possible clubs involved.

REAL MADRID
If Gerrard does leave Anfield it appears that the Bernabeu would be the most likely destination.

Some friendly faces would be there to greet him in the form of England team-mates Michael Owen, David Beckham and Jonathan Woodgate.

According to reports Owen has already given Gerrard the lowdown on how great a club Madrid is.

The Spanish giants have brought in a superstar each year for the last five summers and Spanish newspaper As is sure that this year it will be Gerrard's turn.

Money would not be a problem for a club who have shown in the past they are not afraid of breaking the bank to get their man.

Gerrard would provide some much-needed steel to Madrid's fragile midfield.

CHELSEA
Gerrard's move to Stamford Bridge appeared a certainty last summer, but a late change of heart saw the Reds skipper remain at Anfield.

Chelsea are already well stocked in midfield with Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele.

But the thought of adding Gerrard to that mix would be a mouthwatering one for Blues fans.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is looking for a central midfielder, although he seems to have earmarked Lyon's Michael Essien for that role.

Spanish newspaper As also claimed Gerrard would not move to one of Liverpool's Premiership rivals.

But Chelsea would almost certainly be a bidder should Gerrard become available and when it comes to financial muscle they can compete with any club.

AC MILAN
Milan saw at first hand how dangerous a player Gerrard can be in the Champions League final back in May.

The Italians' midfield, so dominant in the first half against Liverpool, looked tired after the break as Gerrard drove the Reds forward.

Ahead of the final, Milan boss Carlos Ancelotti said they would be interested if Gerrard was to become available this summer.

Ancelotti said: "He is undoubtedly one of the best midfield players in the world."

But it is thought Gerrard would be less keen on a move to Serie A than La Liga.

LIVERPOOL
There is still a possibility that Gerrard could remain at Anfield.

He is under contract for a further two years and Liverpool would surely be reluctant to allow their captain to leave without a fight.

Gerrard was inspiration in their Champions League triumph and it would be a big task for the club to find a replacement, no matter how much money they were to get for him.

OTHERS
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has never hid his admiration of Gerrard.

Last year he likened Gerrard to his skipper Roy Keane and said he would be the perfect replacement when the Irishman retires, even ahead of Arsenal and France midfielder Patrick Vieira.

Ferguson added: "He has become the most influential player in England, bar none. Not that Vieira lacks anything, but Gerrard does more."

But Liverpool would be reluctant to sell their star player to one of their bitter rivals.

Gerrard has talked about wanting to play alongside the best and the thought of lining up behind Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o for Spanish giants Barcelona would appeal to anyone.

But the La Liga champions already have a talented midfield with summer signing of Mark van Bommell added to last season's star players Ludovic Giuly and Deco.

Arsenal would have to be considered rank outsiders if Gerrard was to become available.

The prospect of teaming him up with Vieira in the centre of midfield would be an enticing one, but the Gunners are unlikely to be able to compete financially with the cream of Europe.

Posted: **Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:53 pm**

in Rafa we trust.....

Posted: **Mon Jul 04, 2005 1:09 pm**

In some ways winning the European Cup, has scuppered our chances with SG, as apart from winning the Premiership, he probably feels that he has effectively won all that he can with Liverpool, and that it is time to move on. It would be better for both the club or himself to come clean and say that (if it is true) rather than Gerrard claiming that the club are stalling, etc

Posted: **Mon Jul 04, 2005 1:17 pm**

ok, reina and zenden now signed. quotes from rafa on stevie:

i want him to stay. when i resign my contract in 5 years time i want gerrard to be here, he would be my assisstant manager or even chief scout if he wanted.

apparently rafa asked stwevie 3 times last seasno to resign but stevie kept saying wait. Looks to me like rafa is sticking up for the club, and im feeling happier now about it.
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Liverpool FC Forum

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