P&J: Talk to begin with Aluko to extend deal

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http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1670261?UserKey=#ixzz0jkGE5aG7

Aberdeen are to begin talks with attacker Sone Aluko about extending his contract at Pittodrie.

 

The 20-year-old Nigeria international’s deal expires at the end of next season but Dons manager Mark McGhee is keen to secure his services for the long term.

 

Aluko has been restricted by injuries this season and has shown only glimpses of the ability which endeared him to Aberdeen supporters since his arrival from Birmingham City, initially on loan, in October 2007.

 

McGhee is an admirer, however, and said: “Sone has more than a year of his contract left to run but we will be looking to extend it.

 

“I have already spoken to (director of football) Willie Miller about getting the ball rolling right away. Sone is a big part of the plans, although a lot of it depends on the new players coming in as well, because we have to balance the books in terms of the summer budget.â€

 

McGhee knows he has yet to see the best of the talismanic attacker this term. Aluko scored the Dons’ second goal in their 2-1 victory against St Mirren on Saturday.

 

Having netted a spectacular consolation goal in the opening day 3-1 defeat by Celtic, the player was distracted and disrupted by the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt in September. He departed for a poorly organised Nigerian pre-competition training camp in Spain without the club’s permission and, after clearing up the subsequent mess, he returned with calf and ankle injuries suffered after a week of work on synthetic pitches.

 

He also returned from the competition with a stomach injury which hampered his performances and required keyhole surgery before the turn of the year.

 

Aluko is gradually returning to form and fitness but McGhee knows the player’s season, just like the club’s, is close to being a write-off.

 

But he remains optimistic for the future. He said: “Sone is still nowhere near his best and he probably won’t get there this season.

 

“He showed us glimpses of what he is capable of again on Saturday.

 

“We are going to get periods in games like that from now until the end of the season.

 

“He might only need half an hour but it might produce enough to win us the game.

 

“He can create a goal or grab one himself. I put a lot of stock on him this year and, unfortunately, it has not worked out as we hoped due to injuries.

 

“It takes time to recover fully from the problems he has had.

 

“I have gone through a double hernia myself and it is no fun. I have no doubt he will be back to his best for next season. It is a big year coming up for Sone.

 

“Even if he does not extend, he might be playing to try to earn himself a move elsewhere.â€

 

 

[Harcus]

on the subject of contract negotiations

 

MARK McGhee insists Aberdeen's contract rebels are so important to the club they'll be given as long as they need to decide their futures.

 

Despite lengthy negotiations captain Mark Kerr, Charlie Mulgrew and Gary McDonald, whose deals expire at the end of the season, have yet to reveal their plans.

 

And boss McGhee is so desperate to retain the trio he won't pressure them to make up their minds quickly.

 

McGhee said: "We think enough of them to wait as long as it takes. I expect them to be professional enough to give us a final decision somewhere along the line.

 

"I doubt if it's something they will want to drag on for too long either but if it means waiting well into the summer I'm willing to do that.

 

"It will take us a bit of time to work on some deals.

 

"It will be a long summer so it would be daft to close the door on anyone at the end of May if they still aren't sure if they want to leave."

 

McGhee and his coaching team will be in England this weekend taking in matches during the busy Easter card to add to the 100 players already on their radar.

 

McGhee said: "We will be taking closer looks at some players we hope to sign for next season.

 

"No deals will be done yet but we will update our information on the players, maybe rule out some of them and decide others are of even more interest."

 

from the retard yesterday. I'm not sure we should even be offering these players new contracts, let alone giving them as much time as possible to string us along while they look for new deals elsewhere. If Kerr and McDonald are our starting CMs next season, I'd be pissed off. Really think we need some new blood in there. Can't imagine any of those three players will be getting kept on as "squad" players either.

[El Padre™]

I honestly hope we hold on to Aluko, despite how poor he's been this season. I'm pretty sure we all know what kind of player he can be and with the right amount of confidence he can be a real asset to the team. With him and Pawlett on the wings we could be a great team to watch.

[maverick sheep]

Aluko should stay, the rest should be chased out of town by a screaming mob with molotov cocktails.

 

I hope we're not set for a summer of; "oh we can't sign anyone until we know who's staying...oh they all left so late in the window that we missed out on the people we wanted...here, I've found this wee guy who walked through Munich once so he'll be our new centre back mmmk?"

[TENEMENTFUNSTER]

Aluko should be given terms definitely, the others? Well, had they played anywhere near their potential and previous form yes, we should wait but the majority of these cunts that aren't performing now for whatever reason, so why bother? If they don't sign we have the end of window scrabbling around that McGhee had last season which netted us . . . Ifil. Magic, long term planning. It the way forward, but whisper it.

 

 

[RDU_64]

I've never been a fan of giving as long as players want in order to decide where they want to go. If they do stay, it's their last choice and more often than not, they don't stay and leave us scrabbling about for replacements. Be hard and be fair.

 

And to give as much time to McDonald and Kerr is an absolute joke anyway.

[McMaster]

I think if players want to stay, they will sign a contract pretty early.  If they dont want to sign they can feck off cause they obviously aint playing for the shirt and are quite happy to take the wages!!

 

There cant be too many first team 'safe' players then.  I take it only Aluko, Diamond and maybe Clangers and Pawlett. Oviously keepin Fyvie, Paton and Maguire (if he comes back!!!) but maybe not first choice with Mcghee.  The out o contract boys like Mulgrew, i believe, will be heading off.  So exciting time for new players coming in. 

 

Problem is how much time is there given for the team to gel? Big season for Mark and the boys next year.  I fear we MUST have a good start or there may well be problems . . .

[capitalsharpie]

If our CAPTAIN isnt immediately putting pen to paper then he can fuck off because he isnt playing for the shirt and therefore doesnt give a damn.

 

Bye bye you journeyman.

 

[manc_don]

Agree with rdu here. It certainly doesn't look good on the club if the so called captain stalls on signing a new contract with the club. How he and mr invisible are even getting more time is beyond me. Just going to lead to the same situation that occurs at the club every single transfer window, we'll get stuck with dross. Aluko needs to up the ante but to be fair to him he's been injured on and off this season. That said, he still needs to buck up his ideas because he is in danger of going backwards. Only thing is though, who knows if Aluko will even sign it...

[Ptayles]

I wouldnt be too bothered if aluko left. He does not give a shite about the club and thats the last thing we need

[dave_min]

I wouldnt be too bothered if aluko left. He does not give a shite about the club and thats the last thing we need

 

Sauce?

[maverick sheep]

I get the impression he gives (as much as can be said about modern money grabbing players) a fuck about aberdeen because it's the only place he's been made to feel both welcome and wanted. But I think he's fucked off with Scottish football and the world in general.

 

SPL is probably less than half as credible as it was 12 or 24 months ago and as much as we're entitled to expect Aluko to give a fuck, we'd be both selfish and retarded to think he shouldn't have, as a youth internationalist, an ambition to play on stages higher than we have any hope of playing on within the span of his career.

 

The same is not true of Kerr, McD or Mulgrew. They have no potential whatsoever to play at a higher level and don't even seem willing to prove they are capable of remaining at the level they are currently at.

[Aberdeen_Ladette]

I honestly hope we hold on to Aluko, despite how poor he's been this season. I'm pretty sure we all know what kind of player he can be and with the right amount of confidence he can be a real asset to the team. With him and Pawlett on the wings we could be a great team to watch.

 

I agree Padre. I'm hoping his poor form/cannae be arsed look has been down to recovering from injury, and not because he is genuinely in the huff/cannae be arsed. Would offer him a year extension. If he doesn't accept then that says it all, and I would try to sell him in the Summer.

 

Re P&J article: Aluko is 21, not 20

[redordead]

lightweight and half hearted, Paton's twice as productive when played wide. Lets not be held to ransom by a boy who's only really performed in the bayern game.

[BobbyBiscuit]

lightweight and half hearted, Paton's twice as productive when played wide. Lets not be held to ransom by a boy who's only really performed in the bayern game.

 

That's bollocks. He isn't a consistent performer, but he is young and he has the ability. Maybe we should give him a chance to get over his injuries and get a decent run going? 

[El Padre™]

I'm taking a wild guess here, but the posters who don't care if he leaves, and think he doesn't care about the club are probably the same guys who were screaming absolute total filth and dogs abuse at him at Hamilton, most annoyingly when he was trying to defend a corner that Hamilton scored from.

[redordead]

was not at hamilton and have never abused any of our players ( somewhat counter productive )

 

Agreed consistency may come (2 yrs and counting ) but he's not likely to grow a foot or put on 3 stone and this is where the issue lies for me. At his size you need to be a terrier in our league, Sone has all the skill in the world but is more poodle. Never wins a header, rarely wins a tackle (or puts in ) and 3 times out of 5 loses balls needlessly.  Capable of brilliance but more often a complete passenger.

 

That's why I'm not too bothered if he leaves, anyway who'd he go to? DUNDEE??

[dave_min]

That's bollocks. He isn't a consistent performer, but he is young and he has the ability. Maybe we should give him a chance to get over his injuries and get a decent run going?

 

Faaar too sensible that. Let's hound him instead

[Dandy_Don]

Didn't look bothered at all today and has no final ball.

[BobbyBiscuit]

Didn't look bothered at all today and has no final ball.

 

I think that's very harsh.

[BigAl]

I'm not in favour of hounding him out the door, but got to question his commitment to the cause at times.

He has a positively infuriating habit of standing waiting for the ball to arrive at his feet, and when it doesn't he appears as if he simply can't be bothered making any effort to go and challenge for it.

[Kowalski]

Not been the same since the fallout with McGhee over the Nigerian squad carry-on.

[maverick sheep]

So any news on how the contract talks are going?

 

He's not in the final Nigeria squad so I don't see any incentive for him staying and expect to hear of him signing a pre-contract with someone else come January, if he's not gone cheap before then.