If we think he's Championship quality and given our aspiration is promotion next season, it would be surprising if we'd offered him a longer term deal which didn't reflect that worth. Wouldn't offering a L1 level contract indicate a desire to see if we could flip him quick and cash in? From his perspective, why sign a L1 level (3 year) contract? Surely better to wait out the 1 year option and see what other offers this summer and next summer bring in?
there will be a lot of interest from quite a few clubs in signing such a very good young player .. pessimistically, I doubt he'll be with us next season .. REALLY REALLY hope that I am wrong
We have already said that if he won’t sign a long term deal we will just trigger the one year extension, he will be here next season.
If we think he's Championship quality and given our aspiration is promotion next season, it would be surprising if we'd offered him a longer term deal which didn't reflect that worth. Wouldn't offering a L1 level contract indicate a desire to see if we could flip him quick and cash in? From his perspective, why sign a L1 level (3 year) contract? Surely better to wait out the 1 year option and see what other offers this summer and next summer bring in?
I imagine there would be a wage increase linked to promotion in there.
there will be a lot of interest from quite a few clubs in signing such a very good young player .. pessimistically, I doubt he'll be with us next season .. REALLY REALLY hope that I am wrong
We have already said that if he won’t sign a long term deal we will just trigger the one year extension, he will be here next season.
Or sold
but yeah, he has a minimum of a year left on his contract
If we think he's Championship quality and given our aspiration is promotion next season, it would be surprising if we'd offered him a longer term deal which didn't reflect that worth. Wouldn't offering a L1 level contract indicate a desire to see if we could flip him quick and cash in? From his perspective, why sign a L1 level (3 year) contract? Surely better to wait out the 1 year option and see what other offers this summer and next summer bring in?
I imagine there would be a wage increase linked to promotion in there.
Oh yes, I'm sure you're right.......... I guess I was thinking if folks came in for him this summer and we only held the 1 year option it's not as strong a negotiating position as having him locked in for 3 years......... true, it's a bit of a risk if no-one comes in for him, in that we'd be paying higher wages than L1 would warrant for next season....... but then we'd have the upper hand in January or summer '25 if we had him under contract until say summer '27 and he/we wanted to part company.
A reminder of how and when he joined us and how far he’s come in 4 months to now be in a position where he’s reportedly got at least a couple of great options. If Nathan Jones has done that for him in just 4 months with a misfiring team then sticking around and being part of a team that Nathan has put together has probably got to be even more worthwhile
That was a given, now get the decent extension sorted, none of this fartin' about stuff..🤷♂️
I’m normally glass half full but I see this as he won’t sign for longer so we’ve triggered this to get a fee
He doesn't seem to stay anywhere for long to be fair, so I wouldn't necessarily assume that this suggests a poor or low offer on our part.
At least this way he's not going anywhere without at least us getting a fee and gives us time to hopefully convince him to sign for longer at a later stage.
That was a given, now get the decent extension sorted, none of this fartin' about stuff..🤷♂️
I’m normally glass half full but I see this as he won’t sign for longer so we’ve triggered this to get a fee
He doesn't seem to stay anywhere for long to be fair, so I wouldn't necessarily assume that this suggests a poor or low offer on our part.
At least this way he's not going anywhere without at least us getting a fee and gives us time to hopefully convince him to sign for longer at a later stage.
If he keeps on fartin' about with the clubs, the options of people willing to take him on will diminish rapidly, his reputation could come back to bite him where it hurts if he isn't seen as someone you could rely on...
A free transfer in, so no loss if he plays for us next season and then leaves on a free; he’ll be wanting to impress potential new clubs regardless. Still hoping he signs a longer deal, though.
That was a given, now get the decent extension sorted, none of this fartin' about stuff..🤷♂️
I’m normally glass half full but I see this as he won’t sign for longer so we’ve triggered this to get a fee
I would just say "he won't sign for longer yet." And it might be that he doesn't sign for longer, but I also would say that there has probably been a couple weeks' worth of negotiations, and just because he hasn't signed now doesn't mean he never will.
He was on the youth books at Everton and then Southampton, and was an England youth international until a couple of years ago. The pedigree is there and he's only 19. After the half season he had with us, signing him to a longer term deal was always going to be a challenge.
That was a given, now get the decent extension sorted, none of this fartin' about stuff..🤷♂️
I’m normally glass half full but I see this as he won’t sign for longer so we’ve triggered this to get a fee
He doesn't seem to stay anywhere for long to be fair, so I wouldn't necessarily assume that this suggests a poor or low offer on our part.
At least this way he's not going anywhere without at least us getting a fee and gives us time to hopefully convince him to sign for longer at a later stage.
Would we be entitled to compensation at the end of next season due to his age, or do they have to be academy products for that?
Scott - “Thierry will definitely be here next season". Everyone trusts Andy Scott, right?
I would make him probably right about this, at least to start the season. If there are big clubs looking at Small, I think Small is still in a phase where you can let him play a bit more, see how he grows and develops as a player, and signing him in Jan is not going to end up costing you 5x what his fee would be this summer. I've been very impressed by him, but I don't think there will be such a clamoring for him that Charlton feel like they have to sell. And honestly, if there is, then it would probably take a big fee for a player signed on a free six months ago.
One of my annoyances with Scott (in addition to the ropey recruitment track record obviously) is his penchant for saying dumb shit he doesn't have to say. His comments about only signing fit players and signing players from the Championship in the winter made for a good pull quote, but it seems like a very basic way of thinking about recruitment, and one that was never likely to end up being true. And it wasn't true in the end, we brought in Ramsay from League Two, and he was arguably the second best recruit in the window after Small. We brought in Fiorini who was nowhere near fit. Gillesphey and REG showed signs, but I would not consider either a ringing success just yet (I have high hopes for REG, somewhat more guarded about Gillesphey).
For the record, I don't think saying "Small will be here next season" when they're announcing picking up his club option is a particularly controversial statement, in fact it's a pretty fair one. It has just reminded me of errors past.
My old man was used to play golf on the odd occasion with Carl Tiler back in the day. He tells me regularly that Carl said contract negotiations even back then would take months in the off season whilst players looked at their options and assessed the ambition of the club for the following campaign. I'd imagine in the modern era that process has been further extended. I don't see this as an indication he won't sign long term. I think it's a sensible move by the club whilst his longer term future is worked out. By no means definite he will sign a long term deal, but in my view not a definite indication he won't either.
Thierry is contracted for another year. He can’t skip out of that. I’m sure he and his agent feel that when this coming season ends they’ll be plenty of offers on the table to choose from including from us. That’s their risk in not signing what we’ve offered and it’s probably a good decision by them. For us it’s less clear. He walks for nothing and will need replacing at a cost or we can cash in perhaps in January to ease the pain. My guess is he’ll be sold for less than his real worth in January with a loan back until the seasons end. I think he’s a cracking player and will have plenty of suitors.
Comments
From his perspective, why sign a L1 level (3 year) contract? Surely better to wait out the 1 year option and see what other offers this summer and next summer bring in?
but yeah, he has a minimum of a year left on his contract
Rare to spot a journeyman in such young years
At least this way he's not going anywhere without at least us getting a fee and gives us time to hopefully convince him to sign for longer at a later stage.
"Charlton Athletic have taken up their option to extend Thierry Small’s contract.
The Addicks had until the middle of this month to activate an extra 12 months on the former Southampton and Everton youngster’s deal."
So this was going to happen anyway if the longer deal wasn't agreed.
He was on the youth books at Everton and then Southampton, and was an England youth international until a couple of years ago. The pedigree is there and he's only 19. After the half season he had with us, signing him to a longer term deal was always going to be a challenge.
Everyone trusts Andy Scott, right?
One of my annoyances with Scott (in addition to the ropey recruitment track record obviously) is his penchant for saying dumb shit he doesn't have to say. His comments about only signing fit players and signing players from the Championship in the winter made for a good pull quote, but it seems like a very basic way of thinking about recruitment, and one that was never likely to end up being true. And it wasn't true in the end, we brought in Ramsay from League Two, and he was arguably the second best recruit in the window after Small. We brought in Fiorini who was nowhere near fit. Gillesphey and REG showed signs, but I would not consider either a ringing success just yet (I have high hopes for REG, somewhat more guarded about Gillesphey).
For the record, I don't think saying "Small will be here next season" when they're announcing picking up his club option is a particularly controversial statement, in fact it's a pretty fair one. It has just reminded me of errors past.
I don't see this as an indication he won't sign long term. I think it's a sensible move by the club whilst his longer term future is worked out.
By no means definite he will sign a long term deal, but in my view not a definite indication he won't either.