Tomasz Kuszczak contract

[Comedy Steve]

Hi all

Anyone else a little nervous about the Kuszczak contract situation? He's been so consistently good for us this season people I wonder if people are almost taking for granted his presence. I hate to say it but I don't think we'd be knocking on the door of the play off positions if we didn't have the PIG.

He's made mildly positive noises about staying - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26514899 - but personally I remember similar noises from people who've left us. I do trust the club to do the best it can but GK is one of those positions where I don't think we have two similarly talented people competing every week and a replacement of TK's quality is not an easy find, by any stretch.

Hopefully it's just me being nervous. Either way though, hats off to Tomasz, I think he's immense.

 

[ali jenkins]

I wouldn't worry too much, he seems happy here and I doubt he will be in a rush to go anywhere else. I would think that if for whatever reason we don't keep him here next year then he will not be short of offers elsewhere so wouldn't be too worried about talking to other clubs now.

I would also assume that where we finish would have a huge impact on how much we can offer to players as well. That may be holding it up

 

[Kumquat]

I think he's made it clear himself that he doesn't want to discuss his contract until the summer so we will see then. He did join Brighton with the clear aim of being in the Premiership so I think he will maybe give us one more season but to be honest I'm surprised he hasn't had a premiership side come in for him yet. He's young in goalkeeping terms. I think we will do well to hold onto him this time round.

 

[Acker79]

There are 6 teams who have scored fewer goals than us, and they make up 6 of the bottom seven teams in our division. We are the only one of the lowest 9 scoring teams to have a positive goal difference. The difference between us and them is our defensive record. We have kept more clean sheets than any other team in our division.

I know there are some on here who think Kuszczak is overrated, but he is a major part of the meanest the joint defence in the division.

I am often defending Brezovan and Ankergren. They are both capable goal keepers at this level, but will both make key mistakes every so often. Kuszczak has made mistakes, too, but his are more infrequent, and don't seem to unsettle the defence as much as Pete and Casper. While they did a good job for us between them in the 2011/12 season, we would not be where we are if we had to rely on them.

Kuszczak is very important to our defence.

Kuszczak hasn't made any secret of his desire to play in the Premier League. If we go up, I'm sure we'll have no trouble keeping him.

If we don't go up, he is out of contract and free to talk to anyone. Along with that, we will be restricted by FFP. That is where my concern lies. He has performed so well this season there will be other clubs interested and he will be free to talk to the Championship sides that were promoted to the Prem and might need a new keeper, free to talk to Premier league sides that were relegated and have parachute payments to cover better wages, and will be free to talk to the teams that are signing players on FFP-breaking wages in the summer either because this is the season they are going to risk it, or because they know they may suffer a transfer embargo in january so are signing players now in the hopes they can get up to the Prem this time.

I don't know if the club has an upper limit on individual wages, or if they just have a limit of what they spend in total on wages, but a top keeper is worth a lot more than an extra squad player.

I'm not worried yet, but there are definitely things we might have to worry about come the end of the season.

 

[leigull]

Can see it going a similar way as Wayne Bridge. One of the newly relegated clubs offering him a bigger contract than we're willing to/can afford. Presuming we don't get promoted that is.

 

[BensGrandad]

I think that if he leaves it will be to another championship side who offer him more simply because I cannot think of a Premier side that he would be first choice at even Palace have Speroni and Hennessey who are both near to his equivalent and he will not go to be No 2 again unless it is for mega bucks to a big club. Having said that I agree about his form and use for us.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Kooshack: Shot-stopping = Premier League, Distribution = Conference League.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Can see it going a similar way as Wayne Bridge. One of the newly relegated clubs offering him a bigger contract than we're willing to/can afford. Presuming we don't get promoted that is.

Personally, I can only see Cardiff potentially coming down needing a new keeper. Pretty sure Solksjaer and Kooshack both were at United together too.

 

[Simster]

A couple of things worth pointing out:

1) How many Premier League teams have keepers who are unarguably not as good as the PIG? I can't imagine it's more than one, possibly two or three at most. And of those, how many are out of contract next season?

2) What's good for the goose is good for the gander. If he wants to play hard ball, it could just be that the club outflank him. Great keeper though he is, we could probably find one just as good if needs be.

And finally, I don't blame him for stalling on a contract right now. Where is the hurry? We've got the whole off season.

 

[Left Footer]

Personally I would think he`s better than anything Sunderland have got so would expect Poyet to come in for him.
He will be a big loss if he does leave and we should do everything to keep him.
Someone said on here last week that he was our best keeper since Kuipers (which is laughable) I would say he`s the best keeper I`ve seen in an Albion shirt and that`s going back to the late 70s.

 

[BensGrandad]

Personally, I can only see Cardiff potentially coming down needing a new keeper. Pretty sure Solksjaer and Kooshack both were at United together too.

Is he as good or better than David Marshall I am not sure he is. What about Mannone or Westwood at Sunderland but they have just signed a keeper so doubt they would be interested.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Is he as good or better than David Marshall I am not sure he is. What about Mannone or Westwood at Unserland but they have just signed a keeper so doubt they would be interested.

Id say he is as good as Marshall, but they are lacking already. Sunderland and Palace are covered and Fulham would probably be able to attract better.

Quick look shows that Solksjaer and Kooshack were at United playing together for a year and was there whilst Solksjaer was a coach at United - that link could make him go to Cardiff.

 

[Bakero]

Is he as good or better than David Marshall I am not sure he is. What about Mannone or Westwood at Sunderland but they have just signed a keeper so doubt they would be interested.

I was just thinking the same thing BG. Marshall's been one of the best in the Prem this season.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

A couple of things worth pointing out:

1) How many Premier League teams have keepers who are unarguably not as good as the PIG? I can't imagine it's more than one, possibly two or three at most. And of those, how many are out of contract next season?

2) What's good for the goose is good for the gander. If he wants to play hard ball, it could just be that the club outflank him. Great keeper though he is, we could probably find one just as good if needs be.

And finally, I don't blame him for stalling on a contract right now. Where is the hurry? We've got the whole off season.

I thought it was the other way around, and the club aren't offering new contracts until the end of the season (Ince being the exception)

http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/11029659.Barber__Don_t_fret_over_new_deals/

 

[Seagull1989]

I think we take PIG for granted. It wasn't long ago I used to hold my breath when the ball got played back to Casper or Kuipers!

Don't want to go back to them days

 

[Stuart Munday]

I don't understand this club sometimes, we have a top keeper in his best years, he wants to stay - but we could well end up losing him for nothing, and forking out £millions on a replacement.

Does he really want to stay though, if a Premier League team comes in for him he will be off.

 

[BensGrandad]

Does he really want to stay though, if a Premier League team comes in for him he will be off.

True but which club

 

[father_and_son]

Can see it going a similar way as Wayne Bridge. One of the newly relegated clubs offering him a bigger contract than we're willing to/can afford. Presuming we don't get promoted that is.

This. I'd like him given extra incentives to stay with the club, over and above just cash. Captain's armband would go some way to making him feel more valued here.

 

[Puppet Master]

He's blates waiting to see if we get promoted.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

I think it's pretty simple, If we go up he stays and gets a decent pay rise. If we don't go up, he goes.