I think we absolutely cannot let Nathan go at this point. Even if we were to say get 1.5 million for him, it is highly unlikely we will find anyone in this transfer window to take his spot as attacking lynchpin. He is absolutely central to the system Ernie has got us playing, and I think there's a very high risk that any replacement would not fit into this system immediately. This is the season that we are closest to winning the league that we have ever been, and we don't want to compromise that by getting rid of our top scorer and maybe bringing someone else in who takes a couple of months to settle into the system. And I don't think we have anyone in the team right now who could step into Nathan's place.
If we have a great season, he scores a bag of goals, I'm sure there will be offers for him at the end of the season. He can invoke his buy-out clause and head overseas, we can (hopefully) have won the league or come close, and everybody's happy. So it does not make any sense to release him now.
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The replacement will be Boyd.
[quote=Bullion]
Will still have to be a NZ/Aus player.
Honestly, I would not spend $2.13 million (1.4 million Euros) on Burns. The foreign quota limit, Burns being an AFC player, does push up his value to Shanghai a little bit but still not worth THAT much on top of his $2.67 million NET per season contract. If I was Burns, I would be rather annoyed - he wouldn't earn that amount over 10 years with us. It could push him to look for a move when the release clause kicks in at the end of the season.
$2.5m is a lot per season but if he backs himself to keep playing and finish as the golden boot and put himself in the MVP race, what's his yearly value then? I suspect it would still be up there so he is probably better off staying here in a system he knows and is excelling at. He is not injured at the moment but judging by the last 3 years and what I have read on this site, playing is the best thing for him and its not a guarantee he will be number 1 at this other place. The money looks good but if he plays a slightly longer game, it will be better off for him I think.
Who knows what the offers will be available at the end of our season. 'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush' is what Burns is thinking . IMHO, the 'Nix are being a little unreasonable. It is a bit of work to scout and sign new players, but with this cash you could pay out Kenny's contract, open up a foreign spot and sign another striker and still make a profit.
Completely disagree re: we're being unreasonable. This is how negotiations work. They low ball us, we go much higher; then we meet in the middle. He's a player that is integral to our team and still under contract for another 1 1/2 years.
If we let this club roll over us in regards to transfer fees, then we set a bad precedent going forward.