JON WALTERS’ ONGOING contract disagreement with Stoke City shows no sign of being resolved with the club’s chief executive hoping for a ‘compromise’ between both parties.
Ireland international Walters is in the final year of his current contract at the Britannia Stadium and has been locked in discussions with club officials for the last couple of months.
The 31-year-old, who has been with Stoke since August 2010, was close to joining Norwich City towards the end of the summer transfer window but the Potters rejected a £1.5 million bid for the forward.
Instead, he remained at Stoke and has once again highlighted his enduring worth with a productive start to the season – he has scored in three consecutive games, including in Saturday’s win over Bournemouth.
But speaking to BBC Radio Stoke, chief executive Tony Scholes hinted that the club aren’t prepared to bow to Walters’ demands.
It’s believed Walters wants a two-year deal but Stoke are only prepared to offer him a further one-year contract.
“In 99% of cases, it’s about finding a compromise,” Scholes said.
“We hope it’ll be sorted on our terms, he hopes on his terms. Players will always want what they believe they’re worth and why shouldn’t they?
“They employ agents and it is the agent’s job to understand what the marketplace is like and how that translates into the value for their own player.
“As players get older, the terms of the contract become important. But, as a club, we have to be careful not to over-extend ourselves.”
After being linked with a move away from the club, Walters was left out of the matchday squad for trips to Norwich and Arsenal but has since returned to the fold.
In his four Premier League appearances, he has netted twice and remains an integral part of a Potters side who have made a stuttering start to the campaign.
Despite the battle in the boardroom, Scholes, just like Hughes, has hailed Walters’ professionalism and says there’s been no fallout between the player and club.
“We disagree with him on the contract he should have going forward and we have not been able to agree anything yet,” added Scholes.
“But we still get on. And, in the last couple of games, he’s been fantastic. He has shown what a great professional he is.
“No matter what the issues are going on, when he crosses that white line, he focuses on the game.”
He’s a goner! Still its his own fault and he hasn’t been anywhere near as good as he was last year, so its not as bad of a loss.
@Coner Willis: it’s a terrible shame but it was a stupid thing to do.
However, I doubt you’ll find a flood of texts into the Sunday game like there was last week from WD supporters about Galways Adrian Touhy. It was a bit sad really
@Seamus McSpud: although his goal was top class, it was still very selfish and should have been passed off earlier. You wouldn’t see a Shefflin or Canning do it, if he had missed it he’d be crucified
G’lad!!
A stonewall red. What was he doing? Not his first time to commit this crime either. Last years Munster final on the bonner maher , he did the same.
@t: pity it wasn’t caught during the game. Result would have been different I think. Hard to take a team playing sweeper winning. First half was like two half decent junior sides playing one another.
@Paul O Mahony: sorry we scored 4-19. Ultra defensive stuff. Clown!
@Sean Healy: i wanted waterford to win and im delighted for ye but ye cant say youre not a defensive team…waterford scored 3-8 AFTER the sending off. And listening to that arseh0le donal og after the match was more of the same scutter
@Sean Healy: Waterford only managed 1-11 before man was sent off. Not exactly shooting the lights out!
@Lord Clanricarde: Oh please give the negativity a rest. Waterford scored 4-23 against Kilkenny with all 15 Kilkenny players on the field… Another 4 goals against Cork today. When teams are reduced to 14 players they don’t always lose and the opposition don’t always score 3-9 against them. In 2004 when Mullane was sent off, I seem to remember Waterford won with 14 men.
@Tom O’Brien: Give it a rest Tom. U do know the score with Kilkenny included an extra 20 minutes?? I was there today and they deserved to win but are a horrid team to watch as a neutral!
@James Quinn: i was there today also and throughly enjoyed the game and I was there for the entire Kilkenny game including the additional 20 minutes. Not all teams score 4-23 when extra time is played either as you know. You are all so negative, jumping on the bandwagon with pundits like Shefflin. Remember Kilkenny didn’t do tactics like dropping half forwards back crowding the area under the dropping ball. Where were you all back then when that was going on. The media weren’t talking about it so you didn’t have any independent thoughts of your own. Or maybe you don’t think teams like Kilkenny do tactics and believe Cody when he says he expects every man to win his own ball. Ya right…
@Tom O’Brien: Give it a rest. You’d swear the likes of Eoin Larkin never scored from what you’re saying. Galway will have no problem beating ye in the final. Hopefully it will be a repeat of 2008 and 3-30 on the scoreboard and Gleeson this time looking on from the sideline after his stupidity but sure nothing new been from Waterford. Ye are the most deluded fans iv ever come across!
@James Quinn: Galway might beat us and if they do they’ll deserve it I’m sure, they look a serious team and I wouldn’t begrudge them. Most of the pundits on here said Cork would win also and they got that spectacularly wrong so I won’t write us completely off just yet. If Gleason isn’t playing, it serves him right, a stupid thing to do when the ball was dead. No excuse there. I rather him not play the final than do something stupid like that in the final and get sent off. I thought it was a fabulous game of hurling today, roll on the final… How much would Waterford have scored against Cork, Kilkenny and Wexford if they didn’t play so negatively in your view?
@Tom O’Brien: not sure what you mean about Eoin Larkin. I don’t recall saying Eoin Larkin had a problem scoring. He scored plenty in his time. Kilkenny played tactics and he scored. Simples. It’s a secret though about the tactics, don’t tell anyone
@Tom O’Brien: Waterford had the stronger bench they would of pulled away regardless of the sending off, real hurling people could see that including the cork manager
Zero sympathy especially with all the focus on the issue at the moment. Deserves to be suspended. Different game had officials not bottled it. How Donal Óg can go on the radio and say there’s no way to prove intent is baffling. Clear intent in this case.
@Jack Ronan: Donal Og is a clown. The best thing they can do is say nothing and hope it blows over.
What a stupid thing to do. When I seen it it’s like, there you go GAA, in your face. He’s screwed up royally
I’d be sceptical about anything happening. He’s the golden boy of hurling and has already been let away with it twice last year and once this year.
Definite red card if it had been seen. Far worse than anything de Búrca or Tuohy did. If his fingers had moved a bit, he wouldn’t have been far off gouging Meade. Gleeson had a great game but that was just incredibly stupid.
GAA have no real choice here.
Well done Waterford, best of luck in the final. The sending off changed the game. Cork looked to be control until then.
I didn’t see the Austin Gleeson incident, but the photo on this site looks damming. Looks like he’ll miss the final. Why he would get involved in this is baffling, especially after the De Burca and Bennett incidents. #braindead!
@Joe Kennefick: How far were Cork in control,just curious?
As a neutral, I’ll be so so disappointed if Gleeson doesn’t play in the final.Such a mindless thing to do. His goal was exceptional, just magic..
@Dave Fingleton: he shouldn’t have been on the field to score it.
@Paul O Mahony: you’re seriously miserable about waterford doing well aren’t you? Sad
An 8 team 60/1 accy let down by Callahan, Cork were a joke.. seemed to go from the backs launching to the forwards for Waterford to mop up, Waterford were easily the worthy winners, quarter final in hurling.. anyones game. The final is Galways!
Using the Galway analogy that he’s not looking at the player, then he’ll got off! Can’t have it every way people.
@Sean Healy: the irony! You were screaming for Tuohy to get banned last week! In any event my analogy of the de burca still stands. Ref didn’t take action which mean Austin should be ok. The other Gleeson is certain to miss out though. It would actually be embarrassing for Waterford if they appeal that!
@Sean Healy: huge difference Sean the ball was dead in Austin’s incident. Tuohy was mid play and running backwards. But just let him play. We won’t have to listen to the moaning for three weeks.
@Sean Healy: Tuohy put he’s hand back an clipped helmet strap. Gleeson put he’s hand into helmet and pulled it clean off Meades head!..He deserves a ban, not his first time!..
@Sean Healy: Sean Gleeson did this deliberately, Touhys was a pure accident in a tussle. Gleeson will be very lucky not to miss the final
@Lord Clanricarde: it’s a stupid rule anyway,very dangerous to take a players helmet off yeah ,what used to happen years ago . Oh yeah no one wore helmets..if ye tolerate this then rubber Hurleys could be next.
If Gleeson had got a red card at the time he or waterford would not have to worry the Final, swings and roundabouts .
Ye four are in for it when the Waterford crowd get home !!
@Gerry Campbell: let them text into the Sunday game.
The GAA worse than golf now for post match video analysis catching foul play after the fact….
@Colm: well done waterford, no sour grapes, but if gleeson plays in the final that rule may as well be torn up.
Probably the single most stupid act I’ve seen a player commit in quite a while. Deserves zero sympathy and he has done his county no favours….
Is he not likely to get away with it?? I thought the incident has to be mentioned in the refs report in order to get a suspension
@Ruairi Kinsella: You’re spot on. This incident was seen by officials and deemed a nothing incident. As a result, unless it features in the referees report the CCCC cannot act on it.
No, I’m 100% he can play the final, you can pull the helmet off your man, just don’t let the ref or linesmen see you! Cork had zero plan for sweeper , no excuse they had plenty of time to think about it.
Cork were hit hard, not in a dirty way but weren’t able to handle that. Every shot was rushed because they where under so much pressure. Cork had no plan B like a lot of teams that play Waterford. They all think they can beat them with their A plan but doesn’t always work. Waterford had some serious homework done. As for Gleason he should miss the final it’s in the rules. It is a pity tho.
Go away ye bitter shower of fools. We’re in the final and that’s it. Hope we go on to win it now. Serious team we have this year. HOW BOU DAH???⚪
@Darragh Kelly: waterfords second team gave Galway a bit of a fright in the league so maybe their first team could go 1 step further
I want to see both Galway and Waterford at full strength in the All Ireland Final. I want to see Austin Gleeson play against the Galway boys and I want to see the top exponents of our glorious game contest this All-Ireland final. I am a neutral who hasn’t missed an All-Ireland final for 37 years and I want to see both teams at full strength, apart from.Conor Gleeson. We need to get rid of those bloody helmets!!!