Declan Rice - Signs 5 1/2 year deal (or does he...)

MrsGrey

An ongoing discussion, so comments moved from Chelsea match thread ;ok

Lukerz

Find it odd that we seem to be offering Rice lower wages than various other first team players because of his age, yet he has been playing in the first team since the back end of last season. Surely 25k is a decent offer for a player who has started 3 of our 6 games.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

I think there is the argument that too much too young can end up spoiling/derailing/stalling (whatever word you wanna use) young players

But in Rices case he's THAT good and is already very much a first steamer that I agree, pay him what he wants

If Hugill & Byram were on (reported) wages of around 25/30k p/week then Rice is 100% worth that (and some)

Bazshuayi

Rice needs a contract asap with a hefty buy clause in it too. If we lose him at least we need to get paid. Hes already in Southgates thoughts and he's most likely to only improve and set the bigger clubs vultures into operation

OldCastleSwift

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years said:

I think there is the argument that too much too young can end up spoiling/derailing/stalling (whatever word you wanna use) young players

But in Rices case he's THAT good and is already very much a first steamer that I agree, pay him what he wants

If Hugill & Byram were on (reported) wages of around 25/30k p/week then Rice is 100% worth that (and some)

Reece Oxford's fall from grace is often cited as the reason the club are reluctant to offer Rice more money. Rice had one good game where he pocketed Ozil and was then given an £18k a week contract. He hasn't really had a look in since and his attitude has, reportedly, been dreadful since.

However, Rice has proven himself at PL level (IMO), and has doen well on the international scene as well (two MOTM performances in three games was it?), so is well worth at least £25k a week, IMO.

I'm sure I read somewhere that he (his agent?) are holding out for £38k, but I don't know how true that is. Bottom line is, I genuinely believe he's good enough for top six, and if we're not careful he could be there sooner than we think.

Cuz1

Agree with you there OCS even though you put rice had ozil in pocket instead of Reece lol

Lukerz

Papers this morning report that he has rejected a new offer of £15,000. Rumoured to want around £38,000. Surely we can meet in the middle £27,000 or something. I understand the club fearing giving him too much too soon. But as a first team regular in the PL & international, he can’t be on 3k a week. He just can’t. He’ll be off in January. Surely he should be on the same as Diop?

OldCastleSwift

Cuz1 said:

Agree with you there OCS even though you put rice had ozil in pocket instead of Reece lol

;doh

Lukerz

Sam Inkersole (close to the club) says the latest offer is 18k basic wage plus bonuses if he makes 23 appearances this season. He said Declan doesn’t want to go anywhere but the agent is the issue, who thinks he’s worth double that offer.

OldCastleSwift

Lukerz said:

Papers this morning report that he has rejected a new offer of £15,000. Rumoured to want around £38,000. Surely we can meet in the middle £27,000 or something. I understand the club fearing giving him too much too soon. But as a first team regular in the PL & international, he can’t be on 3k a week. He just can’t. He’ll be off in January. Surely he should be on the same as Diop?

I just can't quite get my head around it. We seem more than happy to give big contracts to new players but appear to be low-balling an Academy graduate who appears to genuinely love the club and is arguably one of our key players under Pellegrini.

Lukerz

Maybe the club feel, at his age, he needs to earn his increase & they want him to remain motivated. So maybe £18k this year, £25k next year and so on. Instead of £35k at 19, where else is there for him to go?

OldCastleSwift

Good point.

However, I don't think any of the big teams would hesitate to offer him £35k a week if his agent was to make him available to them.

MrsGrey

Look at it another way.

If we were to buy a 19-yr old from another club's academy, one who had played some good games in the PL for a season (but also had a couple of less good games and got hooked), what would you be thinking is reasonable? And what figure would you be thinking we'd been taken for a ride?

Lukerz

I think £20k is more than acceptable right now as he has over 30 PL appearances & is also an international (or was until this decision over England or ROI). Get him on a basic of £20k with the option to review as early as next summer.

Cuz1

But if we paid 20 million for diop he will be on wages to reflect that give him thirty five year contract and say 25 million buy out clause to show how much we value him

Lukerz

Thing is we don’t know what Diop is on & in any case he made 85 appearances over 3 years for Toulouse & was their captain last season. Say he is on £40k, I suppose that doesn’t mean Rice gets that too just because there is 2 years between them. Rice has a 1/3 of Diop’s appearances.

thornburyiron

Cuz a thirty five year contract is a bit excessive.

OldCastleSwift

I get your point Mrs G, but unfortunately the club set a precedent by offering young players (Oxford and Quina) more money than arguably they were worth at that stage of their careers. Not saying that that means Rice should automatically get the £36k a week his agent is rumoured to be pushng for, but if it's good enough for players that barely threatened the first team, let alone their senior national teams, then why shouldn't Rice expect the same?

MrsGrey

I know what you mean... but 2 wrongs don't make a right.

I think that it would be a good thing, and would help the club move to a more stable, well-managed level, if a proper wage structure was put in place. (Assuming they don't have one already, obviously.)

I think the club is at a stage now (or hopefully, anyway, over the next season or two) where that could be possible.

alderz

I understand the club taking the stance that they don’t want to overpay early, but I think they have picked the wrong player to play hardball with, as he has the ability to be a feature in our team for the next 10 years

OldCastleSwift

Alderz ;ok

If we lose Rice, I'm pretty confident that whoever we buy to replace him will command more wages than the club are offering Rice.

Moojor

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45476430

Maybe this being the sort of thing the club are wary about. You start through 30k a week at a young man and all sort of things can go seriously wrong.

alderz

Mooj ;ok

Completely get that, and I do think the club are right to be hesitant. But in the case of George Green, or Reece Oxford, or Ravel Morrison, or many other examples, they are players who hadn't come close to the level of first team action that Rice has. I don't agree with clubs paying academy players obscene money. But I don't think of Rice as an academy player now, rather an academy graduate.

Cuz1

Thorn maybe I should use a comma lol

Cuz1

Lukerz said:

Thing is we don’t know what Diop is on & in any case he made 85 appearances over 3 years for Toulouse & was their captain last season. Say he is on £40k, I suppose that doesn’t mean Rice gets that too just because there is 2 years between them. Rice has a 1/3 of Diop’s appearances.

I was going on a previous post where you said surely he should be on the same as diop and was just saying if you rate someone at 20 lol you wouldn’t pay peanuts

Lukerz

Yeah I know I had a think and changed my mind. ;lol

Thought Diop had only played the one proper season.

Cuz1

Fair enough it happens lol

Lukerz

;ok

Pretty sure we will come to an agreement eventually. His deal expires in the summer of 2020, & he is exported to have a year extension. So potentially another 3 years here without even extending it. I’m sure the owners are in no rush and want to see how he goes we the season progresses.

alderz

The longer it goes on without signing him on the more money his agent is going to want for him. If he wants £35k based on his first 30 games, and suddenly he's in the England conversation and our first choice DM, imagine how much he's going to want when he gets to 50 appearances.

OldCastleSwift

Just assume for the rest of this thread that I agree with Alderz

whupathman

I don't know how and 19 year old can survive on a mere 300k a year. I get its a market but this just depresses me when they out earn senior specialist hospital Consultants and their agents moan how little they are on.