THE GREAT CONTRACT BONANZA WITH SOLSKJAER AS ITS LATEST RECIPIENT
IT would be easy to become immune to the ridiculous numbers but football contracts never cease to be a rich — a filthy rich — source of wonderment.
We probably all have a favourite. Remember Alan Pardew’s eight-year deal as manager of Newcastle? It only expired last June.
How about West Ham signing a 26-year-old Jack Wilshere, whose unfortunate injury issues were a closelyguarded secret, to a three-year contract worth the best part of £15million? He played less than seven hours of Premier League football for the Hammers.
Will paying Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang over £350,000 a week until he is 34 prove a cause of regret for Arsenal?
They have plenty of form for that, ask Mesut. But perhaps you still have a soft spot for an old chestnut such as Winston Bogarde’s £40,000 a week for nine Chelsea appearances between 2000 and 2004?
“I may be one of the worst buys in the history of the Premier League but I don’t care,” said Bogarde. Top man.
You couldn’t even blame Roman Abramovich for that particular waste of money but the Russian billionaire has more than made up for it. How exactly did he become a billionaire? The man is a walking golden handshake. Imagine the letter of appointment he sends.
Dear Sir, I have pleasure in offering you the post of head coach of Chelsea Football Club. Here is how much you will be paid off. Yours in sport, Roman.
There are signs clubs might be learning some lessons and are trying to restrict these lumpy payouts.
And when it is agreed, the Manchester United manager’s contract might not include overly-generous redundancy clauses.
But why the extravagant new deal anyway? Ten million pounds a year might be the going rate for the manager of an elite European club but, with respect, is it the going rate for an Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (below)? He has over a year left on his current contract, believed to be worth in excess of an annual £5m.
That the Old Trafford board have faith in Solskjaer is nice. He is a nice guy, who has done a decent job. He has not exactly pulled up trees but United seem prepared to give him time.
Yet if Solskjaer was to become available on the open managerial market now, how many takers would there be from Europe’s super clubs?
We all know the answer to that one. United do not need to give Solskjaer a hefty pay rise to ward off pesky predators from the Champions League glitterati. Solskjaer knows he would be fortunate if his next job was a club half the size of Manchester United.
No-one could begrudge the affable Norwegian getting a wage hike and it is hard not to respect the club’s faith in him. But what does an extension say about the club?
Solskjaer took over in December 2018 and should his team not go all the way in the Europa League, that will be the best part of three seasons without a trophy.
That sort of record at clubs such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Paris St Germain etc would not get you a £10m-a-year contract extension. Solskjaer should be paid the going rate for managing a top club. Of course, it would not be a good look if United tried to pay him peanuts.
But neither is it a good look for a club of United’s stature to stumble along without a major trophy for a few years yet pledge to keep doing the same thing. And pledge to throw money at the same thing.
Solskjaer is not lucky to have his job, not at all. But he is very lucky to have these owners.