Do players get rewarded too easily at the club?

[General]

Odoi, Bryan and neeskens recently had contracts renewed if news is to be believed.

Whilst I appreciate Bryans contribution to our season last year and odois service to the club, is there enough critical thought being put into how we manage the squad and our contracts?

Whilst not always the case it can be suggested that with most new contracts you can get favourable terms.

I think we give contracts out too easily.

How much did odoi play last year and in what capacity? Surely instead of extending his contract we should've considered what the end of his contract would mean and whether it would be more meaningful for the club to bring in another starting CB who could challenge our current starters and subsequently improve our squads quality and depth instead of perhaps keeping it stagnant or perhaps ageing it.

I appreciate odoi is versatile and probably a good guy to have in the squad but just using him as an example of someone who illustrates the point.

We've also given contracts to Kevin Mcdonald who has hardly played since but got one for being a good guy to have around. Sounds harsh, and I'm sure Kevin would prefer to be playing and I do like Kevin but again a contract and squad space for am and going player when we really should've probably been looking to not keep him on but to evolve our squad with someone better and younger and not resting on our laurels.

[ALG01]

What a good question!

The balance of showing loyalty to the squad or being clinical in dealings with the players in the future is a real managerial dilema.

Interested in any insightful answers.

PS I think Odoi will prove a vetry valuable asset through the season just because he can cover and will do a decent enough job across the back line.

[absenteeism]

Yes.

Cairney, never proven in the premier league, is on the same money as a player in a Top 6 premier league club.

Has got about 4 new contracts from the khans

[Sting of the North]

I believe there may be some truth to this. However we do need a squad of 20+ players, of which some are expected to not play very much. It is not easy to find players for those spots relatively cheap, so see no reason whatsoever to not extend the contracts of popular squad players that may play at least a few games. As for Odoi in particular and his role last season, he started 30 games, so I would say his role was quite substantial. Extending his contract is probably about the best business we will do this year, because he is cheap, versatile and popular and a known entity at that.

I can see the point on a player like Kebano, because that new deal looked more like something they came up with after he had the best spell of his career at the exact right moment (both for our club and for his career). I am fairly sure that he would be gone otherwise and that they had no prior plans to renew. He has not been able to take a regular spot even in the 18 man squad for most of his Fulham career to date and I believe there is a big risk he will have very little impact this year. Hopefully he proves me wrong though, but I think that is a good example of what the OP might have been on to.

Generally, I believe it is good to make sure that the fringe players at least works in the team, which is why have Kmac as your 8th best midfielder is not bad as long as he is content with that situation. In my opinion.

[Jim©]

Yes.

Cairney, never proven in the premier league, is on the same money as a player in a Top 6 premier league club.

Has got about 4 new contracts from the khans

How do you know this? I've seen some silly figures bandied around and from what I know of wages (via agent friend) these bandied around rumours are laughable.

[toshes mate]

To use Denis Odoi as an example of extravagance has to be an oxymoron.  I have no idea what the guy's terms were or are but he is a dressing room influence; he was picked on Saturday; and he did make my MOTM.  He has never given less than his best and that is markedly different to some others who, I would guess, are getting a lot more filthy lucre per week. 

[Statto]

Yes.

Cairney, never proven in the premier league, is on the same money as a player in a Top 6 premier league club.

Has got about 4 new contracts from the khans

How do you know this? I've seen some silly figures bandied around and from what I know of wages (via agent friend) these bandied around rumours are laughable.

I disagreed with you another thread about salaries when you said no one at Fulham is on £70k pw. I disagree and would guarantee that 2-3 of our top players are on £60k-£80k.

However I agree with you here. A top 6 midfielder will be £100k+. No way is TC on that. Probably about half that.

As to the OP, I think Kebano and especially Odoi have been good servants to the club. I was very pleased to hear they've been given new contracts, which I expect will be relatively modest by PL footballers' standards, rather than heartlessly discarded.

[Deeping_white]

Yes.

Cairney, never proven in the premier league, is on the same money as a player in a Top 6 premier league club.

Has got about 4 new contracts from the khans

I mean he just isn't being paid the same as a top 6 player, the vast majority of whom will be on a six figure weekly salary. His most recent contract extension, like Mitro's, was a gamble by the club to keep its two best players and get straight back into the PL, something which ultimately paid off.

To answer the OP's point, I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with giving out new contracts to players, it doesn't necessarily signify a payrise either and in some cases they might get a reduction in salary to reflect that they're bit part players now. We've been stung by players walking away for free at the end of their contracts so at least if we decide to sell them later on, we should then be able to command a bigger fee which is better for the club.

[PaulJ123]

I agree - Odoi's a decent utility player in the championship but shouldn't be near the prem.

Cairney again on say around £40-60k a week is massively overpaid considering he has little to no impact on games in the prem.

Neeskens I think is the one I would've given a new deal to given how weak we are down the wings anyway.

All links back to were too scared to bring in new players to repeat "doing a Fulham" and that will be our downfall. Knockaert, BDR, and Cav should not all have been made permemanet, even 2 out of 3 would've been better but we could've used that money to get someone in with real quality out wide.

[Mince n Tatties]

Can't believe Odoi was given another contract,if we were still in Championship yes but not premier.

[HamsterWheel]

Onomah the latest to sign an extension. Good to hear.

[Enigma]

Odoi's experience and professionalism is a useful asset to have. He's squad filler at Premier League level and a borderline starter in the Championship, all of which on relatively cheap wages.

I'd rather have him at the club than cycle through a load of Nordtveit-esque backups on a regular basis.

[fulhamben]

Odoi's experience and professionalism is a useful asset to have. He's squad filler at Premier League level and a borderline starter in the Championship, all of which on relatively cheap wages.

I'd rather have him at the club than cycle through a load of Nordtveit-esque backups on a regular basis.

yep and odoi can play in all four positions across the back. A fantastic 3rd choice player to have on your books for any position.

[General]

Yes.

Cairney, never proven in the premier league, is on the same money as a player in a Top 6 premier league club.

Has got about 4 new contracts from the khans

I mean he just isn't being paid the same as a top 6 player, the vast majority of whom will be on a six figure weekly salary. His most recent contract extension, like Mitro's, was a gamble by the club to keep its two best players and get straight back into the PL, something which ultimately paid off.

To answer the OP's point, I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with giving out new contracts to players, it doesn't necessarily signify a payrise either and in some cases they might get a reduction in salary to reflect that they're bit part players now. We've been stung by players walking away for free at the end of their contracts so at least if we decide to sell them later on, we should then be able to command a bigger fee which is better for the club.

Admittedly by academy players - an issue that still hasn't been resolved with drameh and o'reilly leaving.

We've not had a key senior team player who's been permanently contracted leave at end of contract aside from Ryan fredericks for a while.

[fulhamben]

Yes.

Cairney, never proven in the premier league, is on the same money as a player in a Top 6 premier league club.

Has got about 4 new contracts from the khans

I mean he just isn't being paid the same as a top 6 player, the vast majority of whom will be on a six figure weekly salary. His most recent contract extension, like Mitro's, was a gamble by the club to keep its two best players and get straight back into the PL, something which ultimately paid off.

To answer the OP's point, I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with giving out new contracts to players, it doesn't necessarily signify a payrise either and in some cases they might get a reduction in salary to reflect that they're bit part players now. We've been stung by players walking away for free at the end of their contracts so at least if we decide to sell them later on, we should then be able to command a bigger fee which is better for the club.

Admittedly by academy players - an issue that still hasn't been resolved with drameh and o'reilly leaving.

We've not had a key senior team player who's been permanently contracted leave at end of contract aside from Ryan fredericks for a while.

coady wasn't needed. He isn't as good as fossey or sess. Both of whom could hold down the postion for a decade if they progress. Plus we now have our two new right backs aswell.

[rusty shackleford]

At least by tying these guys to long term contracts we will be able to bounce between the EPL and the Championship forever

[Denver Fulham]

Odoi, Bryan and neeskens recently had contracts renewed if news is to be believed.

Whilst I appreciate Bryans contribution to our season last year and odois service to the club, is there enough critical thought being put into how we manage the squad and our contracts?

Whilst not always the case it can be suggested that with most new contracts you can get favourable terms.

I think we give contracts out too easily.

How much did odoi play last year and in what capacity? Surely instead of extending his contract we should've considered what the end of his contract would mean and whether it would be more meaningful for the club to bring in another starting CB who could challenge our current starters and subsequently improve our squads quality and depth instead of perhaps keeping it stagnant or perhaps ageing it.

I appreciate odoi is versatile and probably a good guy to have in the squad but just using him as an example of someone who illustrates the point.

We've also given contracts to Kevin Mcdonald who has hardly played since but got one for being a good guy to have around. Sounds harsh, and I'm sure Kevin would prefer to be playing and I do like Kevin but again a contract and squad space for am and going player when we really should've probably been looking to not keep him on but to evolve our squad with someone better and younger and not resting on our laurels.

TK can't win on this board. When he brings in "too many new players," he's accused of disrespecting the core of the team that came up and ruined the season. Now he's rewarding players and maintaining continuity and buying prudently, and people are questioning whether he's too generous and why we haven't brought in more players yet.

If there's any criticism to be had, it's going all in on guys like Knockaert, BDR and Cavaleiro last season when they may have zero use in the Premier League, but the gamble was to go up ... and we did. We'll have to deal with the consequences of those decisions and hopefully survive them, but no one was complaining when we brought those players in last season. It's a tough needle to thread.

Look at the last five seasons of promoted teams (2015-19):
2015: Bournemouth (now in Champ), Watford (Champ), Norwich (Champ)
2016: Burnley (still in Prem), Boro (Champ), Hull City (now in League 1)
2017: Newcastle (still in Prem, but edgy), Brighton (same), Huddersfield (Champ)
2018: Wolves (had Prem roster when they went up, now strong), Cardiff (Champ), Fulham (Relegated and now back)
2019: Norwich (back in Champ), Sheff Utd (great first Prem season; we'll see), Villa (barely survived Year 1)

Of the last 15 teams that were promoted, eight are already back out of the Prem (with Hull dropping two leagues) and we also were relegated previously. Several others have barely scraped staying up. It's not easy to get out of the Champ and build something stable in the Premier League in this money/FFP era. "Experienced football people" have had as much trouble with it as our "unqualified DOF."

(Edit to clarify: The assumption is we committed to buy those three players last summer, but had to do loan-to-buy structures for FFP reasons related to the lateness of the Sess sale. Criticizing us for "buying" those players later on is unfair; they weren't separate decisions and it would have been somewhere between unethical to impossible not to complete the deals.)

[Sir Alec of good Stock]

Terry Angus, one of the most committed players ever to have represented the club was reputedly on a basic salary of £7,500 and used to commute to games from his home in Coventry.
Now that's value for money from the great man.

[filham]

The players mentioned are well proven players that have been around for a while and Parker and the coaching staff know exactly what their capabilities are and that they can be relied upon.
OK we need improved players but there is always a big risk that new players signed on the basis of a few scouting missions and a lot of stats may flop at Fulham.
Don't discard these reliable servants until there are better proven replacements in place.

[Mr K.Dilkington]

Can't believe Odoi was given another contract,if we were still in Championship yes but not premier.

i think they have a strong belief we'll be relegated is probably why. I do agree it was time to move on from odoi though...