When is £70,000 a week insulting?

Got to hand it Ian Wright. I never liked him that much anyway, but he’s totally taken the biscuit this time.

His son, Shaun Wright-Phillips has just been offered a £70,000-per-week contract by Manchester City, which most of us will look at, sigh and be amazed that we ever got worked up about how much players earn, because its got so silly we’re past all that now.

But, Wright-Phillips has turned the contract down, and his dad’s gone on the radio and proclaimed that they have shown his son an insulting lack of respect by treating him “like a youth team player” with such an offer.

Like I said, despite my (look away now, American readers) lefty principles, I don’t really get worked up about how much footballers earn. At the end of the day, they’re entertainers, and as such can get the money that they’re “worth” to the club. And you know, if a club’s willing to pay you ridiculous money, you might as well take it.

But for Ian Wright – a supposed Man of the People – to claim that its like something they’d offer a youth teamer just boggles the mind.

I know City are super rich, and I can’t really blame SWP for trying to milk them for an extra few bob if he really wants it, but to be insulted by a 70k a week contract, I mean, I’m speechless.

Apparently SWP is after 100k a week. I got news for you – you aint worth it. Even in today’s inflated market, just being able to run really fast in straight line, that’s not worth £100k a week of anyone’s money. Even daft billionaire owners. (A side note, Wright also critisied Theo Wallcott, SWP’s competitor for that Right Wing berth for England in 2010, for only being able to sprint at defenders. I wonder if he’s ever actually seen SWP play)

The owners of course should tell him to get stuffed, and try and find that money elsewhere, because I severely doubt anyone else on Earth would pay SWP even the £70k a week City have tabled.

Of course they won’t, they’ll fold and give him his extra 30 grand a week, or compromise somewhere in between. One of these days I’d like to see the clubs exact a little power, and this would be a good opportunity, but I just can’t see City being the ones to do it, alas.

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Category: Manchester City