Source: FOOTYMAD
Gunnarsson rejects new deal
Agent gives club chance to improve deal Coventry City's Icelandic international midfielder Aron Gunnarsson has formally rejected to new deal offered to him by the club, but his agent has not ruled out the possibility that he may stay at the club and has told the club what terms his player would accept. The 22 year old Gunnarsson 's three year deal with Coventry expires at the end of the month and he will be free to move to any club that makes him an acceptable offer. Unlike Westwood and King though, the club would be entitled to a development fee for Gunnarsson as he is under 24 years of age, the size of which would most likely be determined by a tribunal. Gunnarsson has now returned from Denmark where he was playing in the UEFA under 21 European Championships, but will be leaving for a holiday shortly and will leave all negotiations to his agent Jerry de Koning. Coventry City asked for a decision from all of their out of contract players by this week so they would have ample time to rebuild the squad should they choose to go elsewhere, but de Koning refused to be pushed and has hinted that if the club try to force the issue he will take his player to another club. de Koning revealed that Gunnarsson is attracting interest from plenty of clubs including two Premiership clubs, some Championship clubs as well as clubs in Holland and Germany. He said, “Coventry offered him a new deal but that didn’t meet with what we think he is worth. We told them that and came back to the chairman with our thoughts. That was two days ago so it is up to them now." “There is a lot of interest from a lot of clubs in the same league, one or two in the Premiership, Germany and Holland, so it has been bursting out and we are just going to weigh up our options and see what Coventry come back with." “It’s not that he is not satisfied at the club but I think he is one of the best players in the team, he’s out of contract so they need to do something.” de Koning didn't rule out Gunnarsson staying at Coventry, but he insisted that the next move must come from the club and when he was asked if there was any chance of him signing a new deal with Coventry he said, “Yes, of course. He’s open minded for everything. He wants to improve. He was very happy with Andy Thorn who did an amazing job last season.” Jerry de Koning, believes that the club are to blame for the protracted negotiations and that they have messed him and his player about over the last few months. The club was going through a period of financial instability and board room power struggles at the time. He insists that the new deal is not only down to money, but he also wants assurances that Coventry City is the right club to develop his player. Too many changes have been made at the club to be good for stability ad as for Gunnarsson himself, he has been used by the succession of managers in a variety of positions which have been unsuitable for his skills. de Koning added, “There has been a bit of a problem at the club over the last two or three years when there has been a new chairman and three managers, and, for him, he needs some ease and steady environment to keep on developing." “He’s been put everywhere, at right-back, centre-half, offensive midfield, defensive midfield, right midfield; so I don’t think that is good for a young player and that definitely needs to change if he is staying at Coventry." “Andy has the right mind and knows him well. He was the one who brought him in as chief scout so I presume he knows his strongest position because you can’t just keep playing a young player anywhere. That’s not good for him but I think Andy will do well on that.” Speaking about the deadline given by the club, de Koning insisted, “It’s not an issue. If they set a date that’s fine. We are not in a hurry and as I said before, there is a lot of interest from big clubs in big leagues and if they want to set a date, fine, and we just go our separate ways, but as it is now we are still in talks and waiting for them to come back.” Gunnarsson arrived back in Coventry on Sunday following Iceland's Under-21's elimination from the competition. He confirmed, “We are still speaking to Coventry but I haven’t made any decision at the moment." “I have had some interest from other clubs while I have been at the tournament but I am taking it easy now and going to take a holiday and relax, and sleep on it. I am not going to rush into anything. All that matters is playing football and my decision will be based on that, but I don’t know where I am going to end up yet. “My agent has been in touch with the chairman and Andy Thorn. I have spoken to the manager and I have a good relationship with him, but I have been training all summer and have just finished at the Euro finals so I just want to turn my battery off for a bit and then see where I stand after my holiday.” Gunnarsson offered hope to the club and to the fans who would like him to stay at Coventry by saying, “I am still thinking of signing for Coventry because I think Thorny is going to go somewhere with this club." "It is exciting times, we have some good players and I believe we can go somewhere, but at the moment I am switching everything off and see where I am in the next couple of weeks.”
