John Souttar......is he bound to sign a new deal out of loyalty or will it be bye bye next season ?

[CJGJ]

I ask partly from some of the comments on the Berra thread which seem to indicate we should bury our head in the sand and ignore his contract situation.

 

He has 12 months left, he has been injured for over 2 seasons during which he has been paid well and looked after

 

Does he have any obligation to extend his deal ?

 

Now it may be (and I'd understand why from the clubs point of view) we are waiting to ensure he has a full recovery before trying to extend his contract but the longer we do not the more we risk losing him for nothing

 

If he proves his fitness I suspect many clubs would come calling and pay a big fee but at present they may hold off doing so however there is no guarantee of this and he could talk to clubs in less than 6 months

[Cruyff]

He'll stay because he's got class and he's a good *****. 

[Zaba]

We stuck by him through all his injury issues over the last few years.

 

I fully expect that as a decent man, and a good professional, he’ll repay that faith and sign an extension in due course.

 

No rush, not concerned.

[Norm]

See if we can get him to sign a year's extension, offer him the £100,000 we've saved on Damour. Protects us from a long term deal if he has a complete breakdown, gives him a bit more cash. After this season, if he's stayed fit, offer him more and a longer contract. 

[Jeff]

Offer him a year. He knows if he stays injury free he will be gone by summer 2022. If he picks an injury up he's got security of another year here.

 

Best for both

[Selkirkhmfc1874]

No rush in my opinion ! I'd be at least waiting until January to see if can stay injury free 

[John Findlay]

I believe he will sign a new deal, however if he stays injury free this season and plays for Scotland again, then I believe he will be off for a big fee next summer. To me everyone wins then.

[Haken]

3 minutes ago, Zaba said:

We stuck by him through all his injury issues over the last few years.

 

I fully expect that as a decent man, and a good professional, he’ll repay that faith and sign an extension in due course.

 

No rush, not concerned.

Not trying to be an arse, but we're contractually obliged to stick by him and to look after him.  He owes us nothing from that perspective.  However, I would hope that he'd appreciate the way in which we've met our obligations and sign a deal that could ultimately be in the interest of both parties.

[kingantti1874]

He should sign and we should be fair. 3 year deal with a pre negotiated release clause.

[Bazzas right boot]

Hopefully he signs an extension. 

 

An extension with a reasonable buy out, say £45m should keep all parties happy 😎. 

He gets security for the next 2 or 3 years and safe in the knowledge we won't stand in his way of a "big" move. 

We get a Good player tied down with confidence that if he goes we get good money. 

 

[Spellczech]

Sign a deal on the proviso that he'll be allowed to go for a suitable offer. If he stays fit offers will materialise as he is class. Always better to move for a fee as team is more likely to play you than a free. Only top, top players are safe to go on a free...

[grumpyespana]

I get the feeling that we have sounded out John already and a extra years deal will be on the table shortly saying to him you can get a move next season if you stay fit which is a big if guys.

[Jamhammer]

I expect him to sign a new deal and, if he stays fit to leave with no ill will

He is, potentially good enough to play at a higher level. I just hope it’s not for either of the bigots

Edited August 2, 2021 by Jamhammer

[Dusk_Till_Dawn]

Lots of different factors here - the main one being his other options. You know how football works. Clubs will like his talent but any medical worth its salt would raise questions about his fitness record 

[feej]

Wonder how much he is worth in today's market, Hibs wanting/getting £4m Doig. Souttar far superior, what would his price tag be £5m plus?

[AlimOzturk]

Really hope he doesn’t break down and sign a new contract. Honestly feel this lad has all the qualities to be one of the better centre half’s Scotland have produced in a long. 

[Lfhearts]

1 minute ago, feej said:

Wonder how much he is worth in today's market, Hibs wanting/getting £4m Doig. Souttar far superior, what would his price tag be £5m plus?

Not as much coz he is older and injury prone, if not re-signed by Xmas may get a speculative cheap bid which we would be bound to accept is my fear.

[Don Dan]

Sadly he will get a big money offer and take. Why wouldn’t he. He can into to football to play at the highest level he can. I think he is good enough to play at a higher level than Hearts eg English Championship or above. This his chance to set himself up for life. As long as he makes wise financial decisions. 
I do pray he stays injury free. 

[So Make Some Noise..]

Sentiment is similar to Callum Paterson, bad injury supported by the club where he's developed so very minimum I'd expect is what CP did by insisting on a sell on clause or something favourable for Hearts. That said, you could say it's 3 fold on the Paterson situation as Hearts have supported Souttar on more than one occasion. It's an interesting one to monitor but what makes it even more intriguing for me is that Souttar knows his injury proneness in recent years so is he willing to gamble by holding out for another offer or does he want the protection of a 2-3 year contract with us? 

 

He's a good guy so I do think he'd do right by us one way or another.

[Der Kaiser]

This is a jinx thread.....I can feel it. 

 

He'll end up signing for Celtic next week or losing his leg in a team building go kart session.

[Jcy110715]

Think this is similar to Craig Gordon situation in contract terms. Got to offer him a very good wage plus 2 yrs extension so clubs pay top dollar. Want him to stay but if he remains injury free 🤞it’s only a matter of time before a big club comes in for him

[KyleLafferty]

Offer him two years, with the promise to sell him if a big offer comes in. Job done.

[Martin_T]

I don't think he's under any obligation to sign a new deal, but it would be nice if he did.

[redjambo]

Why wouldn't he want to stay and play in European competition next season?

[Hearts1975]

1 hour ago, kingantti1874 said:

He should sign and we should be fair. 3 year deal with a pre negotiated release clause.

 

1 hour ago, Barack said:

And a lovely % sell-on...

Both spot on 

 

Contract extension - We need to protect our prior investment in him, and if he leaves, be suitably re-Numerated 

 

Release clause - If an opportunity comes up for him then we shouldn’t be able to stand in his way and let him decide if he wants to leave, or not 

 

He’s an amazing player. Oozes quality. Only thing I would be slightly concerned about would be offering him the longer term deal but to get around it, maybe negotiate an injury release clause IE pay out a portion of his remaining salary and if he is injured, if we want the option to release him 

 

Horrible conversation to be had but I’m sure he is a level headed guy and will understand it’s in place to protect us, but also allow him some compense, in the event we decide to release him 

 

[JamboAndrew]

Do we know who his agent is. They often are more important than the player in these situations.

[CMc]

We should be offering a years extension with a year option - with a sensible (in eyes of both parties) buy out. 
 

That’s fair on both sides. Would hope he would see it. 
 

Im sure Captain Craig will be having a chat about how he signed a new deal knowing the club would not stand in his way, etc. 

[Rick Sanchez]

My gut feeling is Souttar will do us a turn. He does deserve to make us much cash from the game as possible as he doesn't actually know how long he has.

 

I'd offer him a 3 year deal with a mutual agreement on a release fee. I'd say 5 million but as it's mutual...3 million and 20% 😆

 

But if the Doig rumours are true you better make it Grealish type amounts.

[kingantti1874]

2 minutes ago, Rick Sanchez said:

My gut feeling is Souttar will do us a turn. He does deserve to make us much cash from the game as possible as he doesn't actually know how long he has.

 

I'd offer him a 3 year deal with a mutual agreement on a release fee. I'd say 5 million but as it's mutual...3 million and 20% 😆

 

But if the Doig rumours are true you better make it Grealish type amounts.

I think he will as well. I hope he does - from the outside looking in it looks like we’ve done our best by him

[Howdy Doody Jambo]

He could sign a new deal pronto however surely an EPL club will make an offer before this window closes at the end of August, what's

£7 million to one of these club's, we will not be able to compete to keep him much longer, the boy is top class 

[Ex member of the SaS]

I would like to think he would extend his contract all be it with a clause, simply to maximise transfer money to the club.

[Jambo92]

It goes two ways, Hearts will be willing to give the boy a good extension which can cover him for the next 2-3 years. Yes he will get better money down south but I'm sure clubs down south aren't going to pin their hopes on him as their main CB given his previous injuries so the terms of the deal would likely be very dependent on amount of game time.  2 year deal, minimum release clause suits everyone.

[Zaba]

3 hours ago, Haken said:

Not trying to be an arse, but we're contractually obliged to stick by him and to look after him.  He owes us nothing from that perspective.  However, I would hope that he'd appreciate the way in which we've met our obligations and sign a deal that could ultimately be in the interest of both parties.

Contractually obliged to pay him, not to go over and above as we have done. 
 

He’s a top player and I’m certain he’ll move on, and I’m sure he’ll make sure that when he does we’re suitably looked after too.

[mitch41]

3 hours ago, CJGJ said:

I ask partly from some of the comments on the Berra thread which seem to indicate we should bury our head in the sand and ignore his contract situation.

 

He has 12 months left, he has been injured for over 2 seasons during which he has been paid well and looked after

 

Does he have any obligation to extend his deal ?

 

Now it may be (and I'd understand why from the clubs point of view) we are waiting to ensure he has a full recovery before trying to extend his contract but the longer we do not the more we risk losing him for nothing

 

If he proves his fitness I suspect many clubs would come calling and pay a big fee but at present they may hold off doing so however there is no guarantee of this and he could talk to clubs in less than 6 months

This is what I hate about certain fans and the media going on about one of our better players future when we’ve just got of to a good start in the league. Why can’t we just all enjoy the direction Hearts have taken and look forward to the St Mirren game without the worrying about Soapy staying or going. 

[StevenNaismith]

Talks have already started over a new deal. JS is very grateful of the support he’s had at the club throughout his numerous injury issues and wants the club to get a decent fee for him when he inevitably moves on. 

[plastic_bas]

The club gets a lot of stick for not maximising sell on value but we've been really unlucky that our two most bankable assets in recent years (Souttar and Patterson) have suffered multiple serious injuries at their peak value. 

 

I'd love Souttar to sign a new deal and go for Scott McKenna style money but he's lost long periods of his career already. I wouldn't blame him for jumping at a good move next summer. 

[Pasquale for King]

1 hour ago, JamboAndrew said:

Do we know who his agent is. They often are more important than the player in these situations.

Jackie McNamara apparently. 
It seems we’ve offered him a new deal but he might just extend for a year and see if there’s any bids next summer, if we are to believe what’s being said on the transfer thread. 

[upgotheheads]

People struggle to get their heads round the idea of a professional  footballer. Although I hope Souttar might be made of better stuff, I've seen players who have given years of loyal service and been unceremoniously dumped when their time is over.

If Hearts can find some kind of agreement where we take some of the risk of him breaking down again by offering him a two or three year deal on decent terms, while he gets a cut of any subsequent transfer fee, then maybe that would be best all round. He's absolutely entitled to maximise his earnings in the short career of a pro footballer.

[chrisyboy7]

4 hours ago, Selkirkhmfc1874 said:

No rush in my opinion ! I'd be at least waiting until January to see if can stay injury free 

eh.....he should be offered a deal now. he is our main asset and always has been.....hes much stronger now and will be fine

[Nessjambo67]

3 hours ago, Haken said:

Not trying to be an arse, but we're contractually obliged to stick by him and to look after him.  He owes us nothing from that perspective.  However, I would hope that he'd appreciate the way in which we've met our obligations and sign a deal that could ultimately be in the interest of both parties.

Well said I think you covered all the bases there !

[gnasher75]

Or he could just stay at the best club in the world and help us win trophies for years to come. 

[GavK1012]

55 minutes ago, StevenNaismith said:

Talks have already started over a new deal. JS is very grateful of the support he’s had at the club throughout his numerous injury issues and wants the club to get a decent fee for him when he inevitably moves on. 

 

A lot of supposition on this thread, about JS being able to string a season together & us fending off bids from EPL et al! 

 

I hope he can go on and have a career that he deserves, but history dictates, his body isn't up to the stresses and strains of football at this level, let alone anything above & beyond....

 

Hopefully anything we are putting together takes cognisance of his injuries in his 5+ years with us and we don't get too carried away....I hope he does play 35+ games this season and moves on and we get a decent fee...thats whats best for everyone....Time will tell....

[Diego10]

He should be offered at least a year's extension now.   Whether he signs or not is another matter.

 

Would be horrible to lose him for nothing next summer, but right now it's a distinct possibility

[Bazzas right boot]

1 hour ago, The Maroon Pound said:

He could sign a new deal pronto however surely an EPL club will make an offer before this window closes at the end of August, what's

£7 million to one of these club's, we will not be able to compete to keep him much longer, the boy is top class 

 

 

Why would they offer £7m when they can wait 4 months and get him for free on a pre contract? 

 

If he doesn't sign an extension we'll get nothing for him. 

 

 

[Jamdub]

4 hours ago, Barack said:

The only thing I'd add with Souttar, is that two achilles injuries will obviously play on his mind for the future. In terms of earning & providing for his young family. Which is perfectly within his rights. He's got business interests outside of football too, so he's already planned for life after football.

 

If he gets the opportunity to earn daft money, wherever, then I'd expect he'll be gone rapidly. But I do expect both him and us will agree on a mutually beneficial solution come contract negotiation time.

Good post and I agree, he will appreciate what we have done for him and will go for big bucks next season after signing an extension.

[Selkirkhmfc1874]

1 hour ago, chrisyboy7 said:

eh.....he should be offered a deal now. he is our main asset and always has been.....hes much stronger now and will be fine

He's our main asset if he can stay fit but until he proves his fitness nobody going to pay top doller for him in my opinion

[Vlad Magic]

2 hours ago, StevenNaismith said:

Talks have already started over a new deal. JS is very grateful of the support he’s had at the club throughout his numerous injury issues and wants the club to get a decent fee for him when he inevitably moves on. 

Do you know him personally?

 

If you do fair play however I would be surprised any player would talk to anyone outside family and closest friends about any such contract negotiations.

 

If the information you say is correct you must surely know exactly when this was confirmed, where the negotiations took place and who was there.

[OTT]

2 hours ago, StevenNaismith said:

Talks have already started over a new deal. JS is very grateful of the support he’s had at the club throughout his numerous injury issues and wants the club to get a decent fee for him when he inevitably moves on. 

 

Encouraging to hear! John seems like a good lad, so I'm pleased to hear it. Hopefully we aren't into the last 12 months of seeing him in a Hearts jersey though!!

[merseyjambo]

JS looks like a decent lad and I’d like to hope that he will remember how much the club have done for him, sign a new 3 year deal then potentially move in 12-18 months

[Savage Vince]

8 hours ago, Jeff said:

Offer him a year. He knows if he stays injury free he will be gone by summer 2022. If he picks an injury up he's got security of another year here.

 

Best for both

 

Sounds decent.