Knew this would happen. Very sad to see him go - I just hope we got some serious cash for him. Very eager to hear of a good replacement being brought into the squad soon.
I dont think we will get much,didnt they say after year 1 he could leave for about $200k under the terms of his deal.
I would think that a high-profile player like Burns (Johnny Warren medal winner, current regular for Australia ,the Asian champs) would command a decent transfer fee - I'm thinking about one million $NZ minimum.
FC Tokyo are cashed-up after selling Japan international Yoshinoro Muto to Mainz for supposedly about 3 million Euros.
Like Burns he is a forward who likes to play out wide - so it's adirect replacement.
Also Ernie hints here that the transfer fee will be decent:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/699...
While it would be a loss for the team, the transfer would fill the coffers as they search for an out-and-out goal-scorer.
"We've got an import spot and now we've got some money, so we might even go for two players but we've got to sign a key player out of those two and maybe a backup player."
This augurs well too:
Merrick said the team's form last season had made New Zealand's capital a more attractive option for overseas players.
"We have found that that has improved out of sight this off-season, judging by the number of agents talking to us about Australian players that want to come here as well as overseas players.
"Roly Bonevacia, Michael McGlinchey, Alex Rodriguez, all of a sudden people are realising the Phoenix are a well-organised team financially, with a stable board and building for the future after finishing fourth and reaching the top of the table."