Charlie's a free agent in the summer

[Abseits]

Sorry if that's already been pointed out in earlier Charlie threads but I thought I'd point it out just in case..

I suppose that's quite encouraging. I mistakenly assumed he'd be recalled by WBA next season to spearhead their bid to get back in Prem following their inevitable relegation this season. Obviously that's not the case though.

I'd imagine he'd have many suitors for his signature though, so the likelihood of us being able to match the packages/terms on offer from others is quite remote. We're sort of in the perverse position that the better Charlie does for us, the more desirable he becomes to other clubs next season and the further beyond our reach he becomes.

Oh well, no point getting ahead of myself - just be thankful he's here now and hope he can stay fit and injury-free, fire us up the table and be a mentor to Dykes/Bonne.

[Dono77]

Depends on how he does. If he stays fit and scores goals and we finish well then our owners will he under massive pressure from the fans and even the players to put a package together that shows how much we want him.

If we prices himself out of the deal then that's his choice. Although if he really wants to play in the prem or for a club that has real ambitions of winning promotion to the premier league then he wont be signing with us. Sad but true. Maybe just enjoy him for the time we have him here.

[Rich]

If he does well loads will want him who can pay him more ££. If he doesn’t we probably won’t want him.

ideally he does well & we match the next best offer by giving him a longer term contract to cover the shortfall in short term wages. Couple that with his desire to play for us we might get him on a 3-4 year deal.....

[Jeffqpr]

I think I read somewhere WBA have an extra year if they want to extend it

[qpr4life]

Option to extend.. so technically in contract till next year, which means he wont go for nothing tbh.

[topperharley]

He is the best striker this club will ever be able to afford, unless a gem is discovered in ours, or another youth setup.

I genuinely think he's one of the best strikers i've watched play, in a traditional sense. Rarely flashy, strong, works when he needs to, conserves energy well and does the only two simple things a striker needs as well as any of the greatest, finds space and knows where the goal is.

If he hadn't been so injury prone he'd be in the England squad, would've rivalled Kane.

The goal against Luton was bloody good, so subtle, and something any striker in the club or young striker should watch and learn from.

Worth spending money on, worth upping the wage bill for, and I think because he wants to play, likes London and seems to like QPR a lot, he'd be keen to sign.

[Isleworth116]

Wondering if joining us brings him closer to family. He was born in Hungerford. Could give us an edge, finances will be tricky. No problem with best player being highest paid. In past, our highest earners rarely started matches, never good for team morale.

[SheepRanger]

Wondering if joining us brings him closer to family. He was born in Hungerford. Could give us an edge, finances will be tricky. No problem with best player being highest paid. In past, our highest earners rarely started matches, never good for team morale.

And still lives in the area and married a girl from Swindon fron when he played there. As he said on the joining video - he's a family man now!! I've saw Charlie in a Swindon pub once on a Sunday so may have been visiting her family- he was drinking orange juice!! It could be a consideration if hes bored of the industrial wastelands of the Midlands.

[Abseits]

I think I read somewhere WBA have an extra year if they want to extend it

Dunno how true these things are but I read somewhere he's on £65K at WBA. If it were true I can't see they'd extend for 12 months at that sort of money if they were relegated.

I'm a bit fuzzy how these "option of a further year" things work but I assume they'd have to offer him the same terms if they wanted to sell him for a fee, but if they offered him less terms for that extra year he could walk away on a free?

Ah well, that's all in the future. I suppose the learning point here is not to get over attached to any loan players.... they're here for a set period and that's it. Just got to accept they will be here for a season or a half season and move on. Make the most of them whilst we can.

[ConorQPR2000]

Ive seen West Brom have been linked with Josh King from Bournemouth, which suggests that Charlie Austin may well not be in their plans.

Also, I saw this on the west brom website. Judging by the wording, it suggests west brom wont be exersing the 12 month option in his contract. I would go all out for him to get him to sign permanently.

[QPROslo]

It was great to hear Charlie saying in the interview (qpr.co.uk) that "Charlie Austin and QPR are meant for each other". He almost looked emotional when he said it. I was also very pleased to learn about the role Tony has played in getting him back. This bodes well for the fact owners can come up with the money to sign him permanently.

I think Charlie wants to stay here. He is happy here, and he has spoken about not always having been happy as a football player. The role he has now, like a mentor and like a captain (if not in name) is something I think gives him a kick. How great it would be if we could find a way to clinch a long term agreement.

If Charlie is really on £65k a week he knows this will not continue. WBA will not make use of the option to extend the contract for a year, so wherever Austin ply his trade from summer of 2021 he will earn much less. I think he would be happy to earn a little less playing for QPR than playing for a better and richer Championship side. He knows he is not Premier League material any longer.

I also think Hoos, Les and the owners understand it makes sense to sign a player like Austin, even though he might not have a great sell-on value, as it will make those around him better and more valuable players. I am quite sure Hugill/Wells indirectly contributed to the development and value of Eze, and the extra money we paid to sign them temporarily was more than covered through a higher selling price for Eze. The present salary structure goes from 1.5 to 12k a week if what we see on certain sites is correct. If we break the bank and pay Charlie 20-25k a week + bonuses, I don't think it will unsettle the rest of the squad, because the others will understand what this mean to the club.

By the way, the enormous job done by Hoos and Les on the financial side of things mean we have no problem spending that - we are now operating way under the FUP threshold of an average loss of £13m a year. This year is probably delivering a positive net result for the first time in ages.

[Riverwild]

Respect Oslo excellent post.
The owners need to negotiate a deal with Charlie and his agent. He's at the peak of his career. Austin has 2 -3 years max as a player before he retires.

I would offer him £30k per week and make him captain.
I agree with you the affection with Charlie, the fans and the owners are mutual. We must go all out to negotiate a deal asap. We need him.

[MYU]

When our players were on 2k a week we were making a loss each week. How can we afford another 30k, where is this money coming from?

The club have said that they will not pay one player more than the other, not massively different anyway?

[topperharley]

When our players were on 2k a week we were making a loss each week. How can we afford another 30k, where is this money coming from?

The club have said that they will not pay one player more than the other, not massively different anyway?

https://footballleaguefc.com/queens-park-rangers-2019-20-player-wages/

Maybe not 100% accurate link but most will well above £2k surely. And yes to reach £30k is a pretty massive leap.

What is MW, Les et al taking home?

Give Charlie shares in the club...