Report on Annanova stating Man City and I think it was Blackburn are chasing Distin because we are not willing to Pay the £4m asking price by PSG.

I would have thought at todays prices £4m was a snip for someone like Distin...Hopefully paper talk but I would feel better when they reported Distin SIGNS for the toon

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2002

Answers

Bob, ICNewcastle (The Chronicle) reckon it's nothing to do with the price. See below. It was reported last week that Distin's agent thinks he should get the same as Robert (Who he also represents). Not surprisingly, the Newcastle board / management don't agree.

Extract fron ICNewcastle:

There are reports today that Distin's permanent move to St James's Park is in danger because United will not pay what Paris St Germain are asking.

But this is not the case. For the £3.8 million fee was agreed between the clubs before Distin arrived at the beginning of September.

What is holding up the deal is the Frenchman's wage demands and unless he moderates them he will move on.

Distin's agent Pape Dioux whom he shares with Laurent Robert is obviously trying to get the best deal possible for his man and suddenly Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers and Kevin Keegan's Manchester City are being linked with the pacy defender.

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2002

Sky Sports text said his agent was "Willie McKay" (or something like that)

Who exactly is his agent? A double agent?

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2002

Thanks Pilgrim

If that is right I would probably go along with the Management..not knowing the actual figures. Every Premiership footballer is overpaid...some more than others.

Interesting programme the other night with Alan Hanson asking where the Money / Wage demands are going.. Rio Ferdinand thinks they (players) deserve it and "he isn't going to turn it down"

If we have offered Distin a fair wage compared with the others in the Team/league and he wants more then let him see if he can get it elsewhere.

Maybe we should run a book on here to see who the first Premiereship side to go bust will be.....Fulham?? £29 million loss!

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2002

Fulham won't go bust as long as Al Fayed sees it as a hobby, and an introduction to important people. I saw Al Fayed on that Alan Hansen documentary the other day saying he expects to put another £60m into the Club to develop the ground - just a drop in the bucket for him I suppose!

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2002

Distin's Agent is the same as Robert's - Pape Diouf, or some such. Distin apparently wants £20k to sign, which doesn't seem completely OTT - presumably we've offered him ca. £15k.

Hopefully, this difference can be negotiated as if he leaves we'll probably end up paying £5k pw for a replacement Translater for LR!

At the end of the day if he doesn't want to play for us then screw him.

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2002

agree with you about Al Fayeds Money...Is Fulham just somewhere for him to write of Tax losses? But how long before he realises there is no passport at the end of the Premiership road.

As for Distin wages - £20m/week seems pretty much Par for the course given all the figures that are talked about. I certainly hope it is resolved soon and would like to see him WANT to play for us. If he doesn't then agree let him drain KK's coffers.

Are players wages public domain or are all these numbers bandied about just pure speculation?? If they aren't how the hell do we know what area they are in?

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2002

2B honest, £20K pw is a f*kcin' lot to me. Not personally, you understand, but in relation to what I (thought) I heard others were on. Dabs? O'Brien?? Hughes??? Given???? Waddyareckon they're on, FFS? I'd be surprised if any were on more than £15K pw.

-- Anonymous, May 09, 2002

Wasn't YKD on 40k? Isn't Shearer on more? Not that Distin is in that class, mind.

I reckon Given should be on 30k.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2002

I think the numbers are largely informed press speculation, perhaps with some leakage from Agents etc.

I believe Shearer is still the highest paid, and that he is on ca.£35k pw. I suspect Screacher is correct in that most of the senior players, including Given, will be in the £15-20k range, including KD right now. Laurent Robert is probably in the £20-25k range, and Distin is probably looking for parity with him.

The real problem in paying Distin £20k+ pw is that several other 1st team squad players will then be severely brassed off, and this would inevitably produce an upward wage squeeze that would prove to be very costly for the Club.

This is undoubtedly a difficult situation for the Club, and at a critical time.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2002

Not that difficult, Clarky. He's not in Robert's class. He doesn't deserve as much money. He either accepts this, takes an undoubtedly decent wage and a first-team slot in a Champions League side...

Or he can piss off.

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2002

Beckham has been on £25k pw for the last 4 seasons (albeit not in the future) - Distin has absolutely no right to ask for that much.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2002

Sorry Paul, but he has every right to ask for it (and we don't know he has asked for that amount). The question is will anyone give him it?

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2002

OK he can ask for it, but deep down he knows he isn't worth it. And everyone knows he isn't worth it. Just because he is quick and strong it doesn't mean he is worth £25k per week.

Centre backs are one of our top priorities this season, and as a long term prospect, Andy O'Brien is more likely to be our younger man to play as a centre back alongside the more experienced signing we are hopefully about to make. Distin, apart from anything else, is French and will always have ambitions of playing for a London team when his profile is raised.

-- Anonymous, May 11, 2002