Can we afford to let Ben Mee leave for nothing?

Father Jack · Post by **Father Jack** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 8:24 am

With our Dawson & Mawson valued at 20m and then another 8m on wages over 3 years -
Can we really afford to let Ben Mee leave for nothing?
At what point does our experience of this year’s transfer window change our stance on Ben’s contract standoff?

Big 10 days ahead. With another £120m on the line I hope we’re not going to end up being penny wise but pound foolish.

piston broke · Post by **piston broke** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 8:28 am

Can we stop him?
He could do a Danny Ings. Sit on his final year and get the big payout in his signing on fee next Summer.

ksrclaret · Post by **ksrclaret** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 8:34 am

There are other players we can sign who would be a lot cheaper than Dawson or Mawson. Even in the inflated British market.

Ben Mee is very replaceable.

Paul Waine · Post by **Paul Waine** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 8:37 am

Hi Jack, given that both Mike Garlick and John Banaszkiewicz are successful businessmen I'm sure that the club will not be "penny wise but pound foolish."

So, the calculations will have been made.

Let's hope Ben signs a new contract to stay at Burnley. If Ben chooses not to do this, then we will know that the club will make their decision whether to keep him through this transfer window or to sell him on.

UTC - whatever the outcome.

summitclaret · Post by **summitclaret** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 9:26 am

Maybe we could as City get 40% of any sell on don't they? However, if he won't sign up, we need to sign a proper replacement now, or face being ripped off even more in 6 or 12 month time.

Ben must surely have been given an ultimatum by now. Sign or your starting position is under threat. I would also be reminding him that 28/29 year old's are more likely to get career finishing injuries and that a 4 year deal with us is better than none if the worst happened to him.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 9:50 am

If Mee won't sign a contract then we will have no option but to let him go for nothing. That is unless we sell him this summer and I've been told there have been no other clubs in for him in any case so we can't sell him.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 9:50 am

If Mee won't sign a contract then we will have no option but to let him go for nothing. That is unless we sell him this summer and I've been told there have been no other clubs in for him in any case so we can't sell him.

Quickenthetempo · Post by **Quickenthetempo** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 10:03 am

I'm quite happy for him to run his contract down if he wishes. Been a loyal player for us and if true City do have a 40% clause it's not a massive loss.

Say he's worth £15m that drops down to £9m once City have been paid.

I would rather he played the season to be honest and by not signing the new contract he will be playing for around a million a year less in wages for us.

claretspice · Post by **claretspice** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 10:05 am

Father Jack wrote:With our Dawson & Mawson valued at 20m and then another 8m on wages over 3 years -
Can we really afford to let Ben Mee leave for nothing?
At what point does our experience of this year’s transfer window change our stance on Ben’s contract standoff?

Big 10 days ahead. With another £120m on the line I hope we’re not going to end up being penny wise but pound foolish.

Yes is the answer to your question. As you say, there's 120 million on the line, so to cash in on Mee to bring in 10-20 million and risk our Premier League status as a result really would be the embodiment of being penny wise and pound foolish.

warksclaret · Post by **warksclaret** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 10:12 am

With the hundreds of football rumours flying around and with transfer activity increasing I have yet to hear of anyone interested in Ben

Suspect he has a current price tag-lets say £15-£18m. Lot to pay for admittedly a warrior but who is not the quickest and has the "odd mistake" in him. That makes him attractive to a lower PL side in a years time-lets say Bournemouth or a Championship side like Boro at the end of the season when he will be a year older
I hope Ben realizes he is stand in captain, the first name on the sheet and could finish his career here and go on to do a Michael Duff on the coaching staff

Blackrod · Post by **Blackrod** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 10:29 am

Yes we can afford to. We cannot afford to play him if his head had been turned and he is not focused 100% on his job.

tiger76 · Post by **tiger76** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 10:45 am

Blackrod wrote:Yes we can afford to. We cannot afford to play him if his head had been turned and he is not focused 100% on his job.

So you'd let him sit on the bench all season,and then walk next summer,if we can't sell him and apparently there is no takers currently,we have to play him,the only back-up we have is Kev Long,whatever we really need a CB this window or January even if Ben does sign a new deal.

Colburn_Claret · Post by **Colburn_Claret** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 10:53 am

People in the game will be aware that he is stalling, nobody has been in for him. That says a lot.
I don't believe anyone appreciates Ben as much as we do, therefore his value and saleability are limited. I would love to have him stay on, but we can't break our wage structure to satisfy an individual because that would just snowball.
If he refuses to sign we have to sell. I would suggest adding any income from him to the 25 mill offered to WBA, and try again.

mdd2 · Post by **mdd2** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 11:00 am

Why are we banging on just about Mee? We could lose him for nothing next year which could be costly but has no one noticed that both Sam and Jeff are OOC too next July?
Replacing all three if they just walk next year will be costly.

Father Jack · Post by **Father Jack** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 11:02 am

Some interesting points in reply:

I understand we can’t force him to sign a new contract. But I’d like to know whether it’s a question or not meeting his wage demands, or an outright refusal to sign again regardless of terms offered.
I suspect it’s the former as last year he was our captain and a first name on the team sheet.
If you do the calculations on the cost of the replacements that we’ve been linked too and so far have been unwilling to meet the asking price for - then not paying Ben’s increased wage demands could also be penny wise, pound foolish.

Spice take your point about Prem survival next season being the ultimate goal. But it’s widely agreed that we’re already one CB short and that’s with Mee already here.
Let’s play through the scenario that we stay up next season and he leaves on a free. Now we’re two CBs short, the market will have inflated again. Not far fetched that the asking prices for the Dawson’s / Mawsons will now be at £25m. We’ll have two holes to fill, no contribution from any fee for Mee and an inflating market. Penny wise, pound foolish?

Happy to revisit this thread in 10 days as that will be the time to judge the success or otherwise of our transfer window. Let’s hope it’s a positive outcome.

IanMcL · Post by **IanMcL** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 12:35 pm

They need to sharpen up at the back!
They will.

Up the Clarets.

ArmchairDetective · Post by **ArmchairDetective** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 12:43 pm

Dawson is still confident of a move to Burnley. WBA understandably holding out for as much as possible.

bodge · Post by **bodge** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 12:53 pm

It would appear that he isn't going to be signing the contract given it was reported it was close to completion at the end of season awards do.

I would think the last thing the club needs, is to be negotiating new contracts with the pre season underway and less than 2 weeks to go in the transfer window.

Left sided centre halves are hard to come by and balance the side up nicely, i would keep him rather than sell him at this stage, though there appears to be no publicised suitors in any event.

fatboy47 · Post by **fatboy47** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 1:00 pm

I saw a couple of interviews with Ben last season ...it came across quite clearly that he considers himself England material.

Sadly for Ben, apart from a few hundred die hard Burnley fans, nobody else on the planet would share his view. And after a season on the bench at the Turf he surely won't be moving up the league table when he leaves.

PutTheWheelieBinsOut · Post by **PutTheWheelieBinsOut** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 1:02 pm

Theres no evidence that if we sold him, we would use the money to replace him. So why sell him?

warksclaret · Post by **warksclaret** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 1:25 pm

If he wont sign then if he is good enough he should start but we need a CH now as we are exposed. If he goes in 12 months like Ings then so what-he cost us next to nothing and been a great loyal servant. How many honour their contracts these days

willsclarets · Post by **willsclarets** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 1:30 pm

On balance the risk is greater trying to sell him at cut price, and there doesn't seem to be a line of suitors anyway. Having Ben Mee in the squad improves our chance of survival, especially since we're light in that department and still haven't got anyone through the door. Even if Dawson comes in, I'd see him challenging for the RB spot as much as he would CB. Plus even if he's not willing to sign now, he might have a change of heart as the season progresses. Getting 8-10 million for him now does little for us, having him on the pitch this season most certainly does. With some players concentration and professionalism might be an issue, but I think we can safely say that contract or no contract Ben Mee will give his all for us if he stays this year.

Tall Paul · Post by **Tall Paul** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 1:49 pm

PutTheWheelieBinsOut wrote:Theres no evidence that if we sold him, we would use the money to replace him. So why sell him?

Apart from when we sold Gray and replaced him with Wood or when we lost Ings and replaced him with Gray or when we sold Trippier and replaced him with Lowton...

jrgbfc · Post by **jrgbfc** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 2:00 pm

His agent has obviously spent all summer touting him around and there hasn't been any interest. The plan now is to probably run his contract down, have the choice of 2 or 3 clubs next summer and get a big fat signing on fee as a free transfer.

Kevwando · Post by **Kevwando** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 5:33 pm

I'd guess Ben Mee needs a nice lengthy contract with Burnley more than Burnley need Ben Mee.
Ben Mee is replaceable.
I can't see Ben Mee starting every week for a better premier league teams than us.

MT03ALG · Post by **MT03ALG** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 5:42 pm

Let him leave for nothing. At least his agent would not get any money.......

cricketfieldclarets · Post by **cricketfieldclarets** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 6:19 pm

Excellent player. And close to legend status.

But him not signing a contract is as much a risk to him as it is us, as above with the potential for injuries.

Its a game of Poker. But presumably we will have a 4 year deal on the table at presumably around 40k per week. Thats over £8m he will earn!

He could run down his current contract (presumably around 25k pw given when it was signed). Thats about £1.3m. That means that someone will have to be willing to pay him £7m over three years / with sign on just to break even with what we would likely be offering now. And thats taken into account he has a season as good as last, doesnt get injured (a year older and more games to play) and if our next CH doesnt come in and take his place.

Personally I think it would be a big gamble for him not to sign with us. Especially as his is settled in The NW.

mdd2 · Post by **mdd2** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 6:19 pm

MT03ALG wrote:Let him leave for nothing. At least his agent would not get any money.......

His agent will pocket something wherever Ben signs to play after this summer

fidelcastro · Post by **fidelcastro** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 6:22 pm

PutTheWheelieBinsOut wrote:Theres no evidence that if we sold him, we would use the money to replace him. So why sell him?

claret59 · Post by **claret59** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 6:27 pm

It might not apply to every player looking to wind down his contract but they are still workers and it is a fact of life that if a worker is set to leave his job then his head is turned for the last six months or so with the result that his heart and head are somewhere else. After all he will be no longer responsible to his employers in a few months so why 'bust a gut'. It is almost inevitable that he will not care as much about his performances. Danny Ings was a possible example of this, ( although he already had a club lined up.) Perhaps Ben has too.

Ben Mee should be put on the bench and let him wind down his contract from there. Burnley should be looking to replace him asap.

Turftalkers mentor · Post by **Turftalkers mentor** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 6:44 pm

No they should give Ben Mee the contract he undoubtedly deserves if that makes him the highest paid player at the club hes worth every penny

SandyLaneClaret · Post by **SandyLaneClaret** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 7:00 pm

Ben Mee has been an excellent servant for us. Let's not overstate his abilities though. Burnley is the best he will ever do and Burnley is where he will stay.

jojomk1 · Post by **jojomk1** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 7:09 pm

Given the fact that, after over 12 months, we are still down to just three CB's I would think Mee and his agent believe themselves to be in a strong bargaining position
Even if we were to sign Dawson, he is not a left sided CB as isn't Tarks
The likes of Gibson and Mawson would be very good replacements (even an improvement for me) but the current suggested prices of around £20m+ seem to be way off our valuations/aspirations. In which case, if we are not prepared to go all out for one of those or similar then I don't see any other scenario other than we let him run down his contract
Ben Mee is not irreplaceable (as the club are showing in not caving in to the player/agent current demands) and as someone else pointed out he is taking a risk himself if he gets seriously injured this season
Still have a feeling that James Collins (or similar) will be introduced as our 4th CB before the window shuts

Vegas Claret · Post by **Vegas Claret** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 7:34 pm

given his performance on Wednesday he'll be lucky to get any interest from elsewhere ! Sorry Ben, love ya really

deanothedino · Post by **deanothedino** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 7:49 pm

summitclaret wrote:Maybe we could as City get 40% of any sell on don't they? However, if he won't sign up, we need to sign a proper replacement now, or face being ripped off even more in 6 or 12 month time.

Ben must surely have been given an ultimatum by now. Sign or your starting position is under threat. I would also be reminding him that 28/29 year old's are more likely to get career finishing injuries and that a 4 year deal with us is better than none if the worst happened to him.

I'm glad you're not on our negotiating team. What a way that would be to fall out with one of our best performers.

boatshed bill · Post by **boatshed bill** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 7:51 pm

jojomk1 wrote:Given the fact that, after over 12 months, we are still down to just three CB's I would think Mee and his agent believe themselves to be in a strong bargaining position
Even if we were to sign Dawson, he is not a left sided CB as isn't Tarks
The likes of Gibson and Mawson would be very good replacements (even an improvement for me) but the current suggested prices of around £20m+ seem to be way off our valuations/aspirations. In which case, if we are not prepared to go all out for one of those or similar then I don't see any other scenario other than we let him run down his contract
Ben Mee is not irreplaceable (as the club are showing in not caving in to the player/agent current demands) and as someone else pointed out he is taking a risk himself if he gets seriously injured this season
Still have a feeling that James Collins (or similar) will be introduced as our 4th CB before the window shuts

I#m sure we'd pay £20m for either Mawson or Gibson, but doubt we could meet their wage demands.

iw1961 · Post by **iw1961** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 8:17 pm

Kevwando wrote:I'd guess Ben Mee needs a nice lengthy contract with Burnley more than Burnley need Ben Mee.
Ben Mee is replaceable.
I can't see Ben Mee starting every week for a better premier league teams than us.

And how much exactly is the replacement going to cost? This strikes me as the board being two to three years behind the rest of the Premiership in acknowledging that wages are vastly inflated. We could end up paying far more to replace him and stand still. Reminds me of Peter Reid at Sunderland in the early 2000's refusing to pay what he considered to be over the odds for players when everyone else did. Relegation followed.

I have no problem with being cautious, however we seem to be crippled with a fear of spending anything. We could find ourselves in the same position that we were in a few seasons ago when we failed to buy a midfielder in the January window and Marney did his cruciate the following week, which pretty much relegated us.

I cannot believe that anyone who witnessed Thursday nights affair at Aberdeen really believes that we are good enough to sustain last year's good work. We were being found out towards the end of last season, we have no flair about us at all without Defour. It may be unpalatable to the Board but we need to break out the dry powder before it goes off in our faces.

dsr · Post by **dsr** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 8:37 pm

iw1961 wrote:Reminds me of Peter Reid at Sunderland in the early 2000's refusing to pay what he considered to be over the odds for players when everyone else did. Relegation followed.

That's a good point. On the other hand, when Sunderland came back up, they decided they would pay over the odds for players, and look what the result of that was - relegation followed and followed again! Sometimes there isn't a right answer!

ecc · Post by **ecc** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 9:14 pm

"We cannot afford to play him if his head had been turned and he is not focused 100% on his job."

I would be really surprised if that proved to be the case. And I sincerely hope I'm not wrong.

I've given up hope of him signing a new contract though.

PutTheWheelieBinsOut · Post by **PutTheWheelieBinsOut** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 10:45 pm

We can't afford new players, can't afford to offer pay rises to existing players. We are well and truly skint. Expect to see the buy a player buckets back at the Turf sometime soon.

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 10:50 pm

If no one has come in for him by now then I would have thought he will be signing on again in the near future.