Leeds United plan Adam Forshaw stay on reduced pay as contract update emerges – Phil Hay
The plan at Leeds United is for Adam Forshaw to be offered a new contract of reduced value despite not being on the retained list, according to Phil Hay.
The veteran midfielder, and goalkeeper Joel Robles, were both announced as being released in the club’s 12 June update but have been offered a return to preseason training, with Sky Sports reporting the same day that talks were in progress to retain both.
Everton have been credited with interest in their former player Robles [The Sun, 10 June], but while Hay doesn’t suggest talks are yet open he believes the intention at Elland Road is for Englishman Forshaw to return on less money to reduce the Whites’ risk amid his extensive injury issues.
Speaking on the Square Ball YouTube channel (16 June, 41m 50s) Hay said: “The retained list was out earlier this week, Joel Robles and Adam Forshaw have both been released from their contracts but both have been invited back for preseason.
“Whether they come is obviously their decision, they might join other clubs in the mean time, but the door is definitely open there for Leeds to table fresh offers for them at, you would imagine, a reduced rate, particularly with Forshaw because of his injury concerns.
“The plan as I understood it at Leeds was that you would make him an offer which would reflect the struggles that he’s had.”
Don’t hang about
On the face of it a new deal for Forshaw would make sense at a reduced rate given he so often is unavailable to play, but as with a lot so far this summer the club are taking a risk by taking their time.
Most of the delays no doubt relate to the fact that the ownership issue was only resolved a fortnight after relegation was confirmed, and there is still no answer to the manager question.
If Everton swoop in and sign up Robles that would leave the incoming manager another job to sort out this summer, and the same could in theory also happen with Forshaw.
The hope has to be that the same injury issues that have in him line for a reduced deal in West Yorkshire make other teams less inclined to attempt a hijack of his contract talks, and his history at Elland Road makes it fairly straight forward.
But with the rest of the senior central midfielders looking increasingly likely to leave, and Weston McKennie already gone at the end of his loan, the Whites could be left with a big gap at that position if Forshaw went as well.
It is obviously tricky for the club to make decisive moves when key decision-makers are either just arriving or yet to arrive.
But it certainly looks like Leeds United would like to bring both the veterans back under the right circumstances if everything falls into place in time.
In other Leeds United news, Andrea Radrizzani has finally broken his silence about how things ended at Elland Road.