Adu: Transfer and club play discussion/updates.

Not sure if it is posted in here yet or not, but according to a Danish web site, a Portuguese newspaper (Record) is saying that the negotiations between Benfica and Odense have crashed.

http://www.bold.dk/nyt/Avis-Adu-forhandlinger-brudt-sammen

 

I'm totally on Freddy's side on this one - sign a contract, live up to a contract. For the record, I was on MLS' side with respect to the Kenny Cooper transfer situation (and found Cooper Sr.'s comments about MLS distasteful). Kenny and Freddy negotiated their contracts at arm's length. At the time, both players and both clubs were perfectly happy putting pen to paper.

Now Kenny's value is up, and Kenny hates the contract he signed with MLS, but Adu's value is down, and Benfica hates the contract it signed with Adu.

Tough tarts for Benfica. For all of you of you asking Freddy to take a substantial pay-cut, show me where in your own life you did anything REMOTELY similar. Otherwise, you're just irrationally projecting your USMNT fantasies onto a player.

Just like Kenny made concessions to get his 1860 Munich transfer, before the window closes, Benfica will make concessions to get Adu loaned. Other posters have hit the nail on the head: since the team has NO plans to use Adu, why would they pay him $1M this year when they can probably get roughly half that amount off their books, AND they don't have a disgruntled Adu at training? Common sense dictates that something will give before the transfer window closes.

If I'm wrong, and Adu is still at Benfica when the window shuts, okay, I'll back on here, admit I'm wrong, and ask "WTF?" Until then, all this hyperventilation is just typical Big Soccer back-seat posting.

 

on top of 2 years of relative few games.....I disagree. Plus it appears he is off training by himself right now.

His career arc will be bent a different shape if he doesn't find a club soon where he is starting and playing reguarly.

 

Actually, Benfica could make an example of Freddy suck up his salary and not send him anywhere for at least this year to prevent other players from playing hardball in the future. I don't think it's likely but I wouldn't put it past them.

 

yeah, but Kenny still got to start and play games against good enough competition for him to improve his value as a player and learn.

Freddy is slipping backwards here by not playing much the past 2 years, and now having to train by himself? Ugh.

As far as something happening by transfer window- once clubs find another option (once Odense finds their other option). That's it. No more opportunity. It is foolish to play this thing until the last few days....he is asking to get shutout from the very clubs that might have an interest.

Remember, the clubs have a business to run too- if they can't secure deal w/Adu, onto the next young player.

 

I think you're absolutely right. My guess also is that Freddy and co have come to the conclusion (rightly or wrongly) that he will likely not see any action in the WC after his experience in the Confed Cup.

It's too easy for us to say "give up the money" when we don't know what his financial situation is right now. A couple yrs ago, I remember reading a piece about him starting work from the ground up on what would eventually be a huge home in Potomac, MD which is one of the wealthier neighborhoods in the DC metro area. This was in addition to the house he had already purchased for his mom in North Potomac.

Outside of his mom and brother, he may also be responsible for extended family members back in Ghana by way of remittances. Who's knows? And unless we really know, we can't knock the guy for wanting to get paid what he originally agreed to.

 

That will teach him a lesson,getting paid millions of dollars for nothing! That is cruel! I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

 

would you turn down over $US3million dollars for anything?

 

I am not sure if you understood my point. I think that Benfica can suck up Freddy's salary for a year and this would put a damper on other players from playing hardball with Benfica when it comes to contract negotiation time. This would be financially better for Benfica in the long run.

 

Just ask Patrick Ewing...

 

They definitely can afford to sit, but it would be better to give him some minutes and sell him at the price they want. I do not understand what is wrong with Freddy, if you are really that good, he would play, maybe he is not that great!

 

I took a 25% paycut for a better career. I know several people who have as well. It was a long-term decision, and hopefully I'll reap the rewards of it down the road. I know I'm certainly happier in my new job.

There are no guarantees in life, but if Adu doesn't start playing somewhere soon, his long-term earning potential could take a significant hit. Obviously it's a personal decision, but Adu can't be happy spending prime development years sitting on a TV watching Benfica games (he's not even going to be on the bench). And when his contract is up in 2012, then what? He'll be 23 years old with little useful professional footballing experience. Yeah it's a risk to void the rest of his contract, but it may be the right decision in the long term. At this point, though, I'd wait until either December or next June to do it, since he wouldn't have a preseason to integrate into a team.

 

Re-read the wording of my posts.

And also, just because Adu is the final person to make the decisions doesn't mean we all have to agree with them.

 

I don't think that's quite right - they'd have to play hardball for four more years, at $1M per. If they sit him this year, his transfer value only goes DOWN, making it more likely (not less) that they'll be on the hook for all the millions. From what I've seen, especially in this economic climate, Benfica isn't a big enough club that they'd be willing to write off multi-millions, not if they can arguably get off with paying only another $500K (i.e., split salary this year in Denmark as a loan, and Freddy plays well enough to earn a transfer and signs a new contract next summer).

 

4 more years? Am I missed something here?

he signed for 5 years..and 2 years are already past. At the end of this season, there is only 2 years left on the deal.

(Now of course I have no idea why a club would sign an 18 year old player to a 5 year, no cut contract at $1m a year, but regardless.....)

 

You've never heard of internships? Millions of people have taken them to get a foot in the door to start their careers. I've taken less pay (Hell, I've taken no pay.) to make a career change and reaped the benefits later on. And I gaurantee that my sacrifice was more painful than Freddy's would be.

Hop down off your high horse.

I'm not saying Freddy is at fault in this matter. Neither is Benfica. Neither is trying to get out of living up to their end of the bargain. Benfica is trying to get someone to help them pay a portion of Freddy's wage, which isn't at all uncommon in this business. Freddy's trying to get playing time. Someone in the deal is just asking more than Odense is willing to pay.

My only contention is that, if it's a choice between sitting on Benfica's bench and furthering his career by getting playing time elsewhere, then sometimes sacrifices need to be made. If neither club is going to budge and wages are the sticking point, then perhaps the only option left is sacrifice.

By the way, "Common sense" didn't dictate that Benfica continue using a player who was successful for them and was popular with their fan base. "Common sense" didn't dictate Benfica ensuring that the coach at Monaco actually wanted Freddy to come there. So why would "Common sense" necessarily dictate that Benfica loan Freddy on anyone else's terms but their own?

Also, unless you were privy to both sides of the negotiations for Freddy's and Kenny's contract, how do you know they were all perfectly happy? More likely, each made concessions they would've preferred not to, did what they had to do and got on with it.

For the record, I don't care how it gets done, I'd like for Freddy to get his ass on another team as quickly as he can. He can be a difference maker for club and country, just not from the stands behind Benfica's bench. The sooner he starts making a name for himself with his play, the better.

 

what he said. And I am betting (no offense to you, Soccer Kowboy) that you don't have a couple million in the bank either (which Freddy most likely has at this point) which would make the near-term $$ even less important.

 

god, how i'd love to get a soccer internship in Europe, playing for a club for $500,000 during that time. (hell, I'd pay them to let ME play)

Maybe that's the way Freddy should look at it?

 

I don't understand why Benfica won't kick in some salary to get this thing done.
Here are their choices:

1. Pay $1m, don't have Freddy Adu helping their team this year. (no loan)
2. Pay <$1m, don't have Freddy Adu helping their team this year. (loan)

Now I'm no businessman, but...

 

Seltzer mentioned there may be another more attractive loan offer for Adu (attractive = less expensive for Benfica). That is the only reason I can think of, other than not setting a precedent of getting bullied by other teams in financial matters.

 

...and this is different from any other Adu thread...

 

The idea is that they're trying to figure out how much less than <1M they can get away with. As we get closer to the transfer deadline, if OB is still offereing them the best package.......they'll probably accept it (if it's still on the table). What's probably going on behind the scenes is that they're haggling with a bunch of clubs over the salary split to be paid. If a team came along and offered to pay 80% of Freddy's salary...........he'd be gone in a heartbeat. But the buying clubs aren't stupid.....they know Benfica aren't getting offers like that. So they're low-balling to see if they can get a bite from Benfica. It's just basic negotiations.

I think people are WAAAAAAAAAY overanalyzing this situation if they are making broad generalizations about Freddy's value and ability........based on this saga. Freddy has a lot of value, and I'm sure plenty of clubs would be very interested..........for the right price. That's no great insight......because that's true of every player in the world.

 

Not sure if this has been posted yet but...

Soccer 365 is reporting: S365 Exclusive: Odense Adu Talks Halted 8/18/09

http://www.soccer365.com/us_news/story_18809133502.php

 

Whatever Freddy has done, it has systematically pissed off all of Europe. At this rate, he'll be lucky if he can join Nguyen in the V-League.