We must keep Chuba. (#KEEPCHUBA).

Whether he stays on goes will I think largely depend on what Chuba wants to do. If we get a decent bid from a PL team I doubt we would, or should, try and stand in his way.

If he signs a longer contract, perhaps with a buyout clause, that might suite all parties, but with 1 year left on his contract we either gamble that we will be promoted (and even then he may decide to go) or cash in now - cashing in now may be the best option.

I love Chuba, he's the biggest reason so many have enjoyed this season and feel such pride in our club again - but football is a business, like it or not
 
The real crux of the problem here is pretty well summed up by Indeedido. The club could be damned if we sell and damned if we don’t. Chuba‘s season was phenominal, I doubt he’ll ever have a season quite like it again, thats not to say he wont do really well though.

The club will surely have already offered him a contract they see as affordable and fair. Chuba has clearly not signed it. His agent will be talking to all and sundry, and you can’t blame him. His stock is the highest it has ever been. He also knows he can leave on a free in 12 months and if he were to have another good season would command much bigger wages next summer. He is a commodity, all footballers are, he holds all the cards too. He does not have to accept a contract off anyone if he doesn’t want, this is going to be a rollercoaster transfer window, I just hope whatever happens the outcome works well for Boro (first and foremost) and Chuba alike.
 
sambaDTR said:
Mam and Dad etc maybe but, as far as I know (?) Chuba is single so no wife and kids involved. If his Mam and Dad sell their house in London, they could buy a mansion up here!
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Partner and kid in London...when he first came to Boro Warnock said he blamed late nights looking after new baby for his form
 
lostinyorkshire said:
sell your best players = stay in the championship.

stupid idea.

what does it say to Michael C. ?
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What does it say if Chuba has told the club he wants to move on?

Everything is speculation, Chuba holds the aces, not Boro, nobody other than the parties involved know the truth. His recent tweet did not give any clues either way. We all hope he signs a new contract, but the club has to balance a wage structure. Lets hope something is sorted soon, one way or another.
 
indeedido said:
I'm so pleased you are not making the decision.
You seem to discount the scenario where Middlesbrough are promoted. I don't and am absolutely certain Steve Gibson won't be either.
I'm not saying that there is no way he should be sold, just saying it is a very difficult situation to manage.
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It is tricky and our subjectivity plays a part but I don’t think the decision will be SGs.
I’m minded to think about how Akpom will view this.
If, as reported, he is on £27k a year and he has a chance to double that (easy to achieve with a move) it would be a wonderful gesture to turn it down and stay with us…..
 
alanmoodysdog said:
Hes 27,,, maybe last chance for the big time and big bucks
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Don’t you recall that recently chuba said of Michael Carrick; he’s the manager I have always dreamed of having.
Chuba won’t leave easily….he knows how big a risk it is to move just for money because career satisfaction does count for something with some of these lads who are bright enough to weigh up the pros and cons
 
I can't believe how many people cite Chuba's age as a negative. He's just entered his prime years and any buyer would expect him to be at his peak over the next 4-5 years. He could feasibly play on at a high level until 34/35 just as many good players do these days, e.g. Messi, Ronaldo, Benzema, Howson! ;)

By way of comparison, Jamie Vardy was 27 when he made his Premier League debut.
 
Bigstrongman said:
Let’s be honest here, Chuba isn’t ‘loving it here’
He’s just here like any other player under contract
This time last year no fans wanted him, the club couldn’t sell him. People say he’s loved here (which really p1sses me off) …. Of course he is now he’s scored the most goals in a Boro shirt I’ve ever seen. He’d be ‘loved’ at any club scoring that amounts of goals.
Am I wrong that his family still live in London?
If I was him and that’s the situation I’d be looking to leave.
Can’t fault him really if he goes. But the balls in our court. £25m considering the stupid prices getting flown about lately
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He looks much happier here now then he did in 2020/21 and than he did in Greece or Arsenal reserves.

An issue for Chuba is, will he be starting games or be just a squad player? What's best, squad player at Palace, who will finish around 14th to 15th next season or a Promotion pushing campaign in the Championship, banging in 20 plus goals.

Ref Distances, Its only 50 minutes? on a plane to London.

For Boro point of view, if we say got £18m, who would we buy as a replacement?

Myself I would offer him more money and say genuinely you are really wanted here and put the ball in his court.
 
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It's a difficult decision for the club but as we all know money speaks louder than words [most of the time] so I'm in the "sell for a top offer" camp. It's a sad fact that it's probably not in the clubs' best interest to keep hold of Chuba if he can bring in extra revenues by moving on. Moreover, putting him on wages that could compromise our FFP standing isn't a good idea also. I doubt that Chuba would want to move on if there was a guarantee of promotion but sadly there isn't and while we have momentum for next season SG has to balance the books and make the club sustainable for the next decade. Let's hope that things work out to our advantage.
 
It's very hard to hang on to an unsettled player. If it was possible to bring together the same (almost) group of players as last season and hit the ground running, then it might be worth offering money to try and tempt him away from his S. London home. If however, you are replacing 4 - 6 players, you might as well cash in and start another jigsaw puzzle.
 
Its frustrating for us fans to be in the dark about whether or not your best player is going to sign an improved deal or leave, but negotiations have probably been going on for a few months now. Negotiations that are based around what league we are in next season with a set of scenarios and deals on the table to reflect the two possible outcomes. Now we know where we are playing our football for 23/24 there will be much more clarity. I know I'm stating the obvious there btw!

I can see him signing another deal at boro, partly to repay the club for resurrecting his career (so we can get a better fee for him when any prem clubs decided to take a punt on him in the following 6 - 12 months.)
I can see it going the way of signing a new deal but having a clause to say that if a fee of over '£x' amount comes in, we wont stand in his way of leaving. I think that satisfies both parties and is what I would do.
 
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