John Utaka is on £80,000 a week!!

[Blockbuster]

John Utaka was Portsmouth's record signing when he joined from Rennes in July 2007 for £7m. In two and a half years, he has become their record waste of money.

Utaka has started 31 Premier League games and scored seven times in all competitions. Since claiming five of those goals in his opening season the Nigerian's form has declined disappointingly. This season his highlight was scoring against Hereford United in the Carling Cup five months ago. Despite Portsmouth's well-documented problems – Avram Grant has only 17 outfield players, and is operating under a transfer embargo – Utaka has started only twice in the league, back in August. Not only was Utaka rejected by Nigeria for the Africa Cup of Nations that starts tonight, he did not even get into the 32-man preliminary squad.

Portsmouth are debt-ridden and threatened with administration. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs served a winding-up petition on the club just before Christmas, and Portsmouth cannot find the £10m required to lift the transfer embargo. Utaka, meanwhile, continues to enjoy the rewards of his four-year contract on a barely credible £80,000 a week. If he stays to the end of his term, the total cost to Portsmouth will be about £23m. That would be enough to secure their immediate future

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jan/10/portsmouth-wages-waste-of-money


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A Very interesting read, and I'm not blaming Harry for his wages or anything, but what the hell are Portsmouth thinking?? how can a club of that size even think about paying anyone £80,000 a week?

as far as i knew Redknapp said who wants X & Y player and its up to DoF/Chief Ex/Chairman to sort out the Transfer Fee & wages?

These people need to be named and shamed, its a disgrace.

I feel Redknapp is being given a bad rep for 'ruining' clubs....

 

[3Dnata]

He'd do well to get one tenth of those wages elsewhere.
I know people say unattractive clubs you have to offer big wages but they'd have to be sure they were getting talent.
Utaka looks to have no re-sale value.

 

[Phantom]

You have got to worry about all those involved in getting the Utaka deal completed. Did they actually scout him or just see some of spursking's posts?

 

[Banny]

pob just watched his youtube highlights! so gld that our club has a decent wage structure.

 

[Kendall]

utaka your face for a shit.

 

[ravo]

Interesting article... There is no doubt that this is getting further and further out of control, with some players on £140k plus. There should be a salary cap in place, but there is no way in hell it will be agreed to, and the players will go on strike, like in baseball.

I am reasonably happy with our wage structure - only for the fact that none of our players earn over £60k-odd a week (or something like that). Wenger must be praised for this as well, which is even more stringent.

 

[Bonjour]

Who signed him for Portsmouth?

 

[WaynoTHFC]

Who signed him for Portsmouth?

Harry did i think.

 

[Rocksuperstar]

It's one thing to sign a player, i can't see how he had anything to do with the wage he was offered or even the length of the contract, other than to offer his opinion.

Mandaric wanted to be the next Abramovic but didn't have the nous or the upstairs staff to pull it off. He spent big in silly places.

 

[Bonjour]

Indeed. Levy probably would have blocked the stupid wages.

Still not a great signing to have on your CV, though.

 

[spursman85]

Some consolation. He's not 2/3 the player Joe Cole is, so this one would be better value!

 

[Rocksuperstar]

Indeed. Levy probably would have blocked the stupid wages.

Still not a great signing to have on your CV, though.

*cough*
Marco Boogers
*cough*

 

[RichieS]

Interesting article... There is no doubt that this is getting further and further out of control, with some players on £140k plus. There should be a salary cap in place, but there is no way in hell it will be agreed to, and the players will go on strike, like in baseball.

I am reasonably happy with our wage structure - only for the fact that none of our players earn over £60k-odd a week (or something like that). Wenger must be praised for this as well, which is even more stringent.

Erm, Arsenal's wage bill is one of the highest in the Premiership. With their squad being pretty small they must be paying players a hell of a lot!

 

[Luka Lennon]

:rofl: pompey are fecked

80,000k on utaka mg:

 

[Bulletspur]

Why doesnt Harry have to share some of the responsibility? Surely part of a managers role is to manage a budget as well, espcially if he works without a Director of Football? :shrug:

 

[wooderz]

Interesting article... There is no doubt that this is getting further and further out of control, with some players on £140k plus. There should be a salary cap in place, but there is no way in hell it will be agreed to, and the players will go on strike, like in baseball.

I am reasonably happy with our wage structure - only for the fact that none of our players earn over £60k-odd a week (or something like that). Wenger must be praised for this as well, which is even more stringent.

Hockey :cough: :up:

 

[Luka Lennon]

Why doesnt Harry have to share some of the responsibility? Surely part of a managers role is to manage a budget as well, espcially if he works without a Director of Football? :shrug:

yeah but the chairman sets the budget or atleast someone higher up than the manager does and obviously their budget was set waaaaaaaaaaaayyy to high

 

[jrio]

Predictably, it was bullshit, and his wage is closer to 30k a week. It did defy belief that Pompey wouldn't have sold a player on that wage, since they sold everyone except James on over 30k a week.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/portsmouth/8519800.stm

 

[Bonjour]

Can someone change the title of the thread to 'John Utaka is not on £80,000 a week'?

 

[Bill_Oddie]

Nah, if journalism has taught me anything it's that as long as it's hyperbolic/wildly scaremongering then the headline doesn't have to have anything whatsoever to do witth the content underneath it. Even if that means it is disproven within the opening paragraph.