Salako Slams Reading Bosses

Last updated : 08 March 2004 By Rob Cooper
John Salako
John Salako
Royals winger John Salako has sensationally revealed how the club persuaded him to revoke a term in his contract that stated that if he plays more than twenty-five games in a season he must be offered a new deal.

Now the 35-year-old ex-England international, who put in a man of the match performance at Selhurst Park on Saturday, faces an uncertain future.

"I had a clause which said if I played 25 league games I would get another contract, but when I got to 22 they told me I was not going to play unless I took the clause out. It's frightening that this sort of thing can happen," fumed Salako, speaking to the Daily Mirror.

When Alan Pardew left the club last September, chairman John Madejski took the moral high-ground and slammed the departing boss for 'not honouring his contract'.

At the time a faction of fans criticised the club for under-paying the successful manager. When Pardew had signed a new deal the club had given him a contract worth less than his previous one. Yet many went along with Madejski and slammed the disloyal boss.

Madejski spoke at the time of the importance of honouring contracts. However, the club have chosen not to honour the deal originally offered to Salako.

One can't help but question the club's ambition if they are not prepared to pay their top stars (Pardew and Salako) the money they deserve. Whilst, one would also question those who one minute slam the lack of loyalty in football before revoking contractual clauses the next.

John Salako has played thirty-two league and cup games this season and in the opinion of Reading MAD, deserves a new deal. The club, who undoubtedly consider the financial implications of their every move, cannot help but appear stingy when making moves like this.

Salako agreed to have the 'twenty-five games and you've got a new deal' clause removed as the club threatened to stop playing him once he got to that threshold. 'Johnny Salad' felt obliged to agree to the club's demands as if a footballer isn't playing at this time of year they will will struggle to get a contract at another club. Also, for Salako, there would have been no prospect of a renewal at Reading.

Royals winger Salako, who faces an uncertain future, must battle now to earn a new contract at Reading or another club, although now the clause is gone his first team place is relatively 'secure' between now and the end of the campaign.

But he raged: "Whenever players or managers move on they are called mercenary and people complain that there is no loyalty in the game, but it happens the other way too."

Hopefully fans will get behind Salako so that the club can be persuaded to go back on their broken pledges.