Cole Palmer among four Chelsea stars seeking improved deals – ‘Negotiations are happening’
Cole Palmer is pushing for an improved deal at Chelsea with three fellow stars also seeking discussions over their contracts.
That is according to ex-Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, after Palmer was linked with a move to Man United.
Levi Colwill, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo want to agree improved deals at Chelsea, but the club want to delay talks until the season has concluded.
It was revealed that Chelsea’s wage bill increased from £338million to £353m last season, with the London club paying among the highest wages in the Premier League.
Chelsea face ‘trouble’ in contract negotiations
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – thinks the links of Palmer leaving Chelsea are because the 23-year-old wants an improved contract at the club.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness has explained the problem Chelsea are facing in contract talks.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Well, you just mentioned those three players. I noticed you didn’t mention a fourth, Cole Palmer, which may be the reason why that story has developed. Isn’t it strange?
“So that might have been the case that he’s seeing that these sort of negotiations are happening without him. Look, the eight-year deal at Chelsea, a lot of eyebrows have been raised, including mine, when they started this whole idea.
“The intention was that by offering such long contracts, they’d get them at lower wage levels with bonuses etc and then have a chance to look at the players, and if they were good then they could renegotiate the deals. Now that’s what we’re seeing now is that they’ve had a chance to look at those players, they’ve seen them perform, and they believe they’re now worth going on to higher wage levels.
“I get it in one sense that you get a chance to sort of look and then, if you don’t like what you bought, then you can sell and the wages shouldn’t be too big a problem to move players on. That was the theory at the start. And, you know, there is some merit to it.
“The trouble is now that once players at Chelsea, they’re negotiating from a pretty high base already. And so, you know, your eight years suddenly becomes a much bigger liability than it was before.”
Enzo Maresca lines up next managerial job
Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is still out of work since being sacked by the club on New Year’s Day.
Tottenham have Maresca on a list of candidates to replace Thomas Frank, if the Dane is sacked this season amid their poor league form.
Maresca though remains keen on the Man City job and could turn down an approach from Spurs in favour of lining up a move to the Etihad when Pep Guardiola decides to step down.