7 Oct 2014

BR confirms: Liverpool are 'dealing with the agent' of 'wonderful' £31m star who's 'happy' to play for LFC. Held to ransom?

Over the weekend, Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge signed a new 5-year contract with the club, and the next in line for a disgracefully obscene pay-rise is 'wonderful' wing-wizard Raheem Sterling, whose Agent recently invoked the ire of Reds legend Jamie Carragher.

On Sunday, Carra blasted Sterling's Agent for trying to pressure Liverpool into drawing up a bumper new deal, and indirectly criticised Sterling himself for failing to reign in his agent. He told the Daily Mail:

"Sterling is a star in the making, but he is old enough to have his own voice and put a stop to things like this happening"

I totally agree with Carra here, but it looks the cynical tactics of Sterling's agent are working, as Brendan Rodger has confirmed that the club is currently working on a new deal. He told Sky Sports:

"Ian Ayre has spoken with his [Sterling's] reps. The club is dealing with the agent. The boy is remarkably happy here and there are no secondary thoughts about anything else other than continuing to play for Liverpool"

If £31m-rated Sterling is 'remarkably happy' at Anfield, and is not having 'secondary thoughts' about leaving Liverpool, then why is there burning need to hand him a new contract two months into a season?

Where's the fire? The first priority should be arresting Liverpool's terrible start to the season, yet the club is wasting time and energy drawing up a new contract for a 19-year old who's achieved next to nothing in the game.

In my view, Liverpool have basically capitulated to player-power, and the club is being held to ransom by Sterling and his agent. If that's not the case, why not just shelve the new contract until the end of the season? Why does it have to be now?

If Sterling is so happy playing for Liverpool, he won't have a problem waiting till the end of the season.

Author:


61 comments:

  1. Contract negotiations are taking place with him because he is most probably our brightest prospect. He currently earns less then players such as Fabio Borini, Lucas Leiva, and about a third of what Johnson earns yet offers far more on the pitch then all of those players combined. I would happily see him sign a bumper contract to avoid PSG and Madrid sniffing around him and risk another European superpower ruining yet another young English stars career.

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  2. I understand what you're saying, but if Sterling is 'remarkably happy' at LFC, why is there a burning need to give him a new contract right now?

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  3. Well he is alerting most majior European clubs so he must be doing something you can't see. Regardless he is being looked at for future potential rather then current potential.
    Why should players around him be getting new contracts and not Raheem.. Sturridge has been missing most of the season and signed up last week.
    I agree with the above post top the contracts up keep the asking price up.
    I can also see where Jamie is coming from too.

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  4. Signing a new contract means nothing these days...... Suarez signed anew contract last december and talked abt how happy he was blah blah.......then we know what happend......dont get me wrong I want Sterling to be with us and become a legend....But you never know what those agents will be feeding them......So to be safe I hope BR has put a 100m clause in his contract......

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  5. 87 played.contract review pre agreed at 90th game.the big reason for urgency is surely the buyout clause,lfc need to protect self and asset from hostile bids

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  6. "Where's the fire? The first priority should be arresting Liverpool's terrible start to the season." JK you make it sound like Liverpool are a one man and his dog club.We can sort out new contracts without it hindering team development.
    I'm sure Rodgers will be kept in the loop with negotiations but Ian Ayre will be the man looking to get a deal done.Sterling's new contract talks won't hold up Brendan Rodgers and our players working hard at Melwood to get our season back on track.
    I want RS tied down to a new contract now.Why give other clubs the opportunity to potentially unsettle our prized asset later in the season.

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  7. I think the idea is to insert a prohibitive buyout clause in his new contract.
    Remember we done the same with Suarez, and we got £75m, instead of £40m, a simple business decision.

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  8. If Sterling said he wanted to go to Real tomorrow we'd still command a high price because he still has just over 3 years remaining on his old contract. Its really only 18month out when clubs lose price negotiation power as players then decide to see out their contracts if they dont get their move. I cant see Sterling refusing to sign a contract if we offered one next summer - that's a 2.5 year wait for his contract to expire...I think we have the leverage in this situation.
    Realizing he's on $35K, I somewhat change my original stance on this issue. His current contribution to the team deserves at least $50K considering his age and we can add in bonus' for goals/assists and add some merit to the contract. So I'm hoping this contract is in that range.
    But this $100K being floated around is ridiculous. All you need to do is watch the last couple of games to see that. His development is not there and the number of games he's played has him jaded. He's starting to affect the team negatively when he gives away the ball in good attacking positions very consistantly. He needs to be rested because he's not reached a place in his development where he can play even two games a week at a consistant level.
    To be clear, I think he has the potential to be on $200K+ player in the future, but until he can perform at his best level consistently (and that naturally wont come until his older) he doesnt deserve to be overpaid just to "keep him"

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  9. Since when was Carra fluent in English?

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  10. Sterling is behaving like a player who knows he has pulled the wool over everyone's eyes and is anxious to cash in before he plateaus. He isnt that good and he knows it. Like any good business man he is striking while the iron is hot because his stock will plummet very soon.... (notably when Barkley and Walcott go back into the England team and marginalise him)

    I remember Mick Quiinn starting the 1993/94 season like a house on fire scoring 10 goals in his first 6 games for coventry. He was bigging himself like crazy in the press because Shearer and other key players were out through injury. He almost got the call up too but GT decided to go with other options. Quinn famaously said (paraphrasing) " Over ten yards im as quick as anyone" lol. My point is sometimes you have to take advantage of the hype or (like Mickey Quinn and more recently oxlade chamberlain) it may never come come back.

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  11. I don't think Mignolet is receiving balanced criticism on many sites. Yes he has made a few howlers but he has also made saves which kept Liverpool in the game. Against WBA last Saturday for example. When LFC were considering the Stoke & Sunderland keepers I felt they chose well. His game will improve when there is decent competition and concentrated coaching on his weaknesses. Indeed if I had to improve the defence I would be thinking of Hummels and two hard defensive midfielders. - Where the L we're going to get them I don't know. We are simply being overrun!
    While Steven Gerrard was being slated by all and sundry I asked for him to be restored to his old station as attacking midfielder. Am pleased to see some managers and former players are now supporting the great man so I do hope you will do as he asked us to do with Luis Suarez - show him some appreciation whilst we've still got him. With some more steel in defence and our great Anfield support we can climb right back to the top.

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  12. Possibly because waiting allows clubs like Real and Barca to use their oft-used tactics of drip feeding compliments by players about how he'd fit in whilst leaking possible contract details to Marca and the like, probably further unsettling a young player and affecting his performances?
    Better to get it sorted now than leave it festering

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  13. He's been our best player for most of the games so far this year

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  14. I agree with most of that but Begovic is clearly superior in the areas where we are lacking- He actually catches crosses and distributes very well and has a particularly good habit of throwing the ball quickly to start attacks.
    gerrard was playing well in both DM and AM roles on Sat not just as a no 10
    My choice would be a big offer for Cech who has said he won't stay as a no 2 for long. And yes please to Hummels

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  15. Poor assessment of both Carra and Sami imo
    Sami was extremely commanding, and Carra was one of the top 2 or 3 CBs in the Prem at his peak around 2005/6

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  16. If we lose him to talk because we didn't give him an improved contract, people complain. If we give home an improved contract and he stays, people still complain.

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  17. Just wondering; do agents get a cut of the new improved contracts or do they just get commissions when players move between clubs?

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  18. Sterling deserves a new contract for digging deep and getting to where he is now but certainly has a lot more to do to reach where he can be. WRT calls for wage reviews based on contributions, this is detrimental to any employers (football clubs included). If reviews are based on contributions, will they be reversible if performance drops? Like any industries, the current system serves to attract talents. Performance based reward are in forms of bonuses and commissions which are part of the players' contract.

    Negotiations can be initiated by player or employer but not through media.

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  19. Luke Shaw is on 120k a week. Sterling is twice as good.

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  20. thexcuriousxwanderer6:12 am, October 08, 2014

    Should he not get what he deserves just because he is happy? Giving it now is like telling him "You're important to us." Giving it after another club comes in and says "Hey we value you way more than your club does, come play for us!" sounds like a club that is stingy and does not make moves to show players that they are valued. I'm pretty sure they are not going to give him just an outright raise, but probably will include a lot of performance bonuses to ensure he stays motivated but at the same time feels valued (enough to fight for the club, to know that he is being taken care of and not being taken for a ride.)

    I for one would be very impressed with my boss if he raises my salary after I have done well during a project rather than to wait till the end of the year to give me a raise (and if I get a better offer elsewhere, do I renegotiate? Will I be seen as mercenary and unscrupulous to use that offer as leverage to obtain a higher salary?)

    I think it is a very smart move to avoid future pain.

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  21. They get commission on the new contract ...otherwise the lychees would make sure no player ever renews a contract!

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  22. Negotiations can be initiated by the player or his agent - via media...we see it too often - especially with the bigger clubs

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  23. Great news - Really hope we can get Lazar Markovic up to speed - he could be a brilliant asset - need to work on him as B R did on Hendo

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  24. C'mon JK, you're not that naive?
    The club is covering it's ow arse. Come next summer, barring a disaster, the 'big boys' will be circling. The days when the name 'Liverpool FC' were enough are long gone. Sterling, and for that matter Sturridge, are not Scousers. They left their previous clubs to further their careers and earn money and they will leave Liverpool for the same reasons. The contract offers arefor the same reason Suarez got a new one a year ago: To secure a bigger transfer fee, if/when the time comes.
    Keep Sterling on £30k a week, when he could easily get five times that at five clubs in England and countless others throughout Europe and he WILL leave ASAP... for a lot less than if he had a longer contract.
    Simple economics.
    The alternative? Don't offer the contracts, refuse them the transfer and have a couple of pissed off players bringing the atmosphere at the club down.
    This 'Moneyball' approach is total bollox. Don't believe me? The Red Sox have been using the approach for years... if the MLB was structured like the Football League, they'd be in the Conference now.

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  25. Allegedly Coutinho is also about to sign a new contract, what to think about that one..

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  26. People, where is nevergonnacrackthecode, is he still grieving we won on Saturday?

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  27. Agents should be put in a rocket and blasted into space!

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  28. I am surprised you don`t have a dozen replies under this one...Your post has sense, I just hope you are wrong..

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  29. Don't think he warrants a new one. Let him show what he can do again this season.

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  30. Mr. Point Of View9:36 am, October 08, 2014

    Every player life span is short so they try to earn as much as possible. Simple if LFC think he deserve that $ then pay him if dont just let him rotten at bench / reserve destroy his career simple as that ! Talent everywhere rite? Come get me my contract can be flexible "pay as u play" hahahaaaa

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  31. Mr. Point Of View9:38 am, October 08, 2014

    I willing to sell if big offer come in bcoz i do see IBE is ideal replacement

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  32. Mr. Point Of View9:42 am, October 08, 2014

    I really hope SUSO can make it but seem BR not in favor on him so i think LFC will offer couthinho new deal soon

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  33. Probably truth.. How much before this one expires?

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  34. Unfortunately football clubs and footballers don't leave in the real world, they don't look at things the way we do, it's been that way in the entertainment business for a long time.

    I personally don't think he deserves a new contract as he signed one one season ago. The alleged "30K pw" is more than enough for a 19yo, however in this crazy football world it is deemed as "low" and fans get so caught up in the hype that they even say a player "deserves" a multi-million £ contract.

    If loyalty was not an issue I would I would leave it as it is, but with agents etc... if you don't make the 1st move someone else will sadly.

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  35. p.i.motion lallanna10:00 am, October 08, 2014

    who cares every player should get what they deserve be it more or less .Once again jamie i dont think you are really interested in the point.You are only writing an article to stir it up.Trying to divide lfc fans by finding any negative issue on a daily basis .You write about negative stuff almost 100% of the time which leads me to question your loyalitt.I know writing negative articles gets a big reaction from fans but if you are a true fan then surely you should write some positive pieces.More and more i hear moans and groans at anfield ,the more lfc fans got behind their team last year the more we grew as a team .We need ....we all need to get behind the team and get back to playing the best football in the world

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  36. How is this a negative article? Why question someones loyalty just because you don't agree?

    The article raised a lot of good points.

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  37. This is really a small club mentality that 30k is enough for 19 year old. Why link age with salary? Salary should be based purely on performance. Even 2k a week is enough for any 19 year old but if someone is delivering results week in week out, then he deserves every bit of the bumper contract

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  38. Cos Madrid and Barca are sniffing about! Liverpool probably want to put in a release clause?

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  39. Not sure about Cech as I think he recently showed he's lost his nerve to go down at an onrushing forwards feet. - Which is understandable considering the injury he suffered. Way back in Gerrard Houllier's days as manager I think he considered signing Lee Cattermole and Ryan Shawcross and I think Brendan Rodgers should revive that interest. - They are two experienced, no nonsense, players who know the requirements of the EPL and would shore up our sloppy defence. I would retain Skrtel and Coates as back ups and clear out all other central defenders. Please BR stop talking about Benzema and give Lille an extra fee to allow Origi (Sp?) to join us in January. We must establish a settled team and stop bringing in loan players who see Liverpool as a proving ground, shop window and stepping stone. Perhaps the keeper is different but we must ensure his contract prevents moving to an EPL club next summer.

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  40. Its happening now because the start we've made to d season IMO, they realise if we fail to make champions league football he won't sign a new deal and ya can't have a player of his calibre playing in d Europa league with 2 years on his deal r he will choose to enter d final year and vultures will try get him for nothing, dis way it covers our arse in case we dont get champs league and ties him down for d next 5 years r so, we will get champions league doe so it's all realitive but doing d deal now ensures we remain in control come what may dis summer

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  41. Maybe Rodgers just wants a happy camp just because the kid has 3 years left on his contract doesn't mean he doesn't deserve a pay rise. On shear work load he probably deserves one of the biggest pay package at liverpool, simply he is entitled to it and this media hoo ha is a joke.

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  42. to be fair, sterling is clearly our most important attacking player right now. although I think lallana will start taking that responsibility as the season goes on. In any case, Sterling's pay should reflect that.

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  43. ha Jimie Carragher giving it large about agents......it wasnt long ago that he had his own agent working for him on contracts....nobody will tell thier agent "no ...I'm earning enough, dont ask for a better contract"

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  44. even if sterling is happy, it is in the club's interests to draw up the new deal to control a bidding war if one ensues, but more importantly to retain sterling if that is the priority

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  45. Could be argued that he is just doing his job and what he is getting paid to do ....... whilst others aren't and should get a reduction in pay .

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  46. It doesn't work like that. The demand and supply decides everything in the world. A talent like Sterling will have an excellent market value in terms of transfer amount and salary. We should stop this loyalty BS, massive hypocrisy IMO. If player is not good enough (Spearing) we sell them despite the loyalty and when someone actually plays well to deserve a better contract, we play a loyalty card.

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  47. And then sell Ibe too for Wilson.

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  48. To make your argument stronger, he is getting paid in £ and not $.

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  49. Lol thanks, definition of a "rookie move"

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  50. Surely you're not suggesting his agent has negotiated an inflated contract with Sky:-)

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  51. You are just very forward looking. The inexorable march of America

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  52. Is it just me, or is BR a bit too open/talkative to the media? I'm fed-up of hearing him talk about our players. I don't know whether it's his ego, or he's using the media to motivate/manipulate a situation. Every time he says something, it seems to make big headline. Personally speaking, I wish he'd shut-up a little more often. He's won nothing and we're playing shite at present.

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  53. Are you remarkably happy running this website? What would happen if someone came to you and offered you double to continue running the website so that you didn't consider going to run another website?


    Keep doing what you're doing and make more money? Sounds relatively simple and too good to be true.


    Just apply the same thing to the Sterling situation. He's in a position of power, and he's using it. Any player in his position would do the exact same thing.


    And to go on further, let's say he waits and gets injured, then he loses out on that payday. It's in his best interest to get paid sooner rather than later.

    And LFC is obviously concerned that if we don't pay him now, he'll look for greener pastures (literally and figuratively)

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  54. Reasonable assessment. After all, we can pay him 100k per week, and someone would still come in and offer 125k per week.


    But at least if they do that, they'll have to pay for him.

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  55. I don't know if you're giving Sterling enough credit because I think he is the goods. Not to say that he's going to be an all time great, but I can see him having a very good career overall.


    I think his biggest issue this year will be Rodgers overplaying him (which he's already done in the first 8 weeks of the season).


    If Sterling is rested, he'll contribute. If he's played too much, he's going to get burnt out before December.

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  56. It would have to be a large rocket as it also has to accommodate Politicians,. Lawyers, Estate Agents, Tax collectors and TV presenters

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  57. End of season, now ... whatever. Does it really make a difference? There is no "normal" time to renegotiate a contract. This is what agents are for and although they're obviously going to push for new deals and more activity it's not automatically the case that they are scheming evil-doers with dollar signs in their eyes. An agent will be consistently chatting with the club about players, just as the player will be consistently chatting with his agent about his career. That's how it should be. You don't just sign a deal and forget about it for 3 years, never talking to your agent in the meantime. These will always be fluid situations and I have no problem with anyone "wasting" time and effort having normal conversations about a player's future. Things change all the time so contracts should be kept as up to date as needed, even if that happens twice a year. Putting some prescribed method on how these things are supposed to happen is totally artificial and it will never reflect reality. I understand the common sense expectation that a 5 year contract is some kind of locked-down agreement for the full 5 years and should be upheld by everyone for the full period but that's just not how it works in football, it's not that black and white.

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  58. I think he's quite deliberate in what he says. Remember, this is a man who presented his prospective bosses with a massive document on his vision for the club before he was hired, so he likes to plan and anticipate things, have an idea for any scenario before it happens. I'm just guessing, of course, but I doubt he's going out there and just opening his mouth to see what comes out. So I'd go more towards the "motivate/manipulate" side of things. Rodgers is smart enough to anticipate how the media will receive certain things so he should be capable of choosing carefully what he says, knowing how it will be published. It might be cringe-worthy at times but if it's part of his plan for the club then we have to leave him to it and trust his judgement.

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  59. March? Conquered already I would say.

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  60. Doesn't Sterling have 3.5 years left? I would wait until next season at least before giving a new contract

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  61. Sorry I didnt have time to read all the comments but has anyone addressed Sterling's cheating? I mean, the build up to Lallana's goal was an obvious attempt at blatant cheating, no? Jaime?

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