Gallas facing huge pay cut to remain at Arsenal
Tuesday March 09 2010
ARSENAL are planning to tell
William Gallas that he must take a huge pay cut if he wishes to stay at the club after his contract expires in the summer.
The
France defender's representatives are due to meet
Arsene Wenger this week to renew negotiations over a contract extension after talks reached an impasse in January over the length of the new deal.
Arsenal's club policy is to give only one-year contracts to players aged over 30, an offer Gallas has rejected out of hand because he is seeking a two-year deal.
In this week's meeting Wenger will propose a compromise whereby Gallas would receive a two-year contract for the value of the one-year deal already on the table, effectively meaning his £80,000 wages would be halved to £40,000 a week.
In addition, the 32-year-old would also receive a £500,000 bonus if he stays at the club until the second year of the new contract, to be triggered at the start of the 2011-12 season.
It is unclear whether Gallas will be willing to accept such revised terms, but it is likely to be the best offer he will receive from
Arsenal, who are determined to keep their wage bill under control.
Gallas may prefer to take his chances elsewhere because he has attracted interest from
Roma,
Marseilles and
Paris Saint-Germain, even though none of them are likely to improve on Arsenal's offer.
Wenger's attitude towards
ageing players was perhaps vindicated yesterday when Gallas broke down in training with a recurrence of a calf injury. "He felt very well yesterday and went out training, but he has gone backwards again," Wenger said.
"We don't know how long it will be, but for
Hull on Saturday he has no chance." (© The Times,
London)
