Pascal Chimbonda: Free The Wigan One
If we believe what we read – and let’s face it; in this case, no one has ever denied its authenticity – it was one of the most shocking and tactless methods a footballer has ever employed to inform his club he wants out.
Last May, following an end of season 4-2 defeat at The Library, Pascal Chimbonda marched into the visitor’s dressing room alongside his Wigan teamates. Once inside, he fished in his kit bag, produced two pieces of paper and handed them to his manager, Paul Jewell. One document was a transfer request, the other; a letter thanking the club for the opportunity it had afforded him.
Thereafter, to paraphrase a popular expression, the faeces collided with the mechanical air-cooling device. LARGE style.
“I was livid!� Jewell told an assembled pack of sport journo’s later. It is in no way an understatement to say the club’s chairman, Dave Whelan, was not best pleased either and, using quite extraordinary language, expressed his displeasure thus:
“The timing of the request was absolutely diabolical,” he said. “I have said to him we will not stand in his way because we cannot afford to have players at this club who do not want to play for us. However, the price is £6m, not a penny less. If anybody wants to pay that, they can buy him. If they don’t, he can play in the reserves until his contract is over.”
Initially, there did seem to be a semblance of hope for the want-away Frenchman - his appearance on the transfer list attracted the attention of two potential suitors. Both Tottenham and West Ham reportedly tabled bids but their opening offer’s - £3m and £4m respectively – were declined with Wigan insisting both club’s return when they were prepared to offer the full asking price. West Ham went elsewhere but Tottenham did come back – with an offer of £3m cash plus midfielders Andy Reid and Danny Murphy as makeweights. But, once again, their offer received a negative one-worded response from Chimbonda’s employers. Following their second attempt to land the player, Tottenham too decided to take the same route as The Hammer’s and seek more viable alternatives.
And there the story ends. Chimbonda is, at the time of writing, still registered as a Wigan Athletic player and – obviously, reluctantly - started the new season with the Lancashire club. Wigan have been true to their word - he was dropped for the opening day defeat at Newcastle and his only appearance to date was as a (very late) substitute during the Wigan’s home win v. Reading last time out.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this sorry tale is the questions it throws up about the dubious morality of football, the true value of a player’s contract - post-Bosman, and our unrealistic expectation as fans of player loyalty.
The player and his agent
Chimbonda’s agent – Willie McKay - has claimed since the get-go that the player acted (quote) “on his own� when he made his audacious transfer request. But can this really be the truth? Is it feasible that a player would do something as fundamentally important as ask his club for a move without first consulting the advice of his appointed representative? If this is not true, it would appear the player was very (very, very) badly-advised and should surely consider dispensing of Mckay’s services forthwith on the grounds of piss-poor guidance.
If, on the other hand, McKay had nothing to do with his client’s action, why is Chimbonda giving up a percentage of his hard-earned to an agent when it is crystal he feels capable of making his own career decisions unilaterally? It is a fact that Chimbonda signed an improved four-year deal just THREE months after arriving at the JJB stadium.
Why, given his ambition to play for a ‘bigger’ club did he do this? Was he persuaded/coerced by MacKay? Whatever the truth, in common with many footballers - post-Bosman - Chimbonda has been forced to play a nail-biting game of brinkmanship with his employer in order to secure a move to a place (he feels) more befitting his ability. The way he went about it was undoubtedly disrespectful but his only real ‘crime’ appears to be his desire for advancement in his chosen profession.
When did ambition become a criminal offence?
The club’s chairman
Deconstruct Dave Whelan’s comment above and the implicit threat contained within its subtext is glaringly obvious; if we don’t get the money we want, he can rot in the reserves! Strong words but are they also wrong words?
Dave Whelan was once a professional footballer – he played for Blackburn - so, unlike so many other club chairmen, should know what he is talking about. After hanging up his boots, he made his multi-millions building up a chain of grocery shops and launching a spectacularly-successful high street sports retail business – the Chav’s favourite for haute couture, JJB Sports. But has this man, who clearly has a masterful grasp of business acumen, acted in the best interests of Wigan football club in this instance?
Surely it is not in the best interest of any business to allow one of its prime assets to devalue deliberately? If Chimbonda is banished to the second XI, he will be worth exactly nothing. So, by playing hardball and refusing to enter into any negotiation over the player’s worth, isn’t Whelan’s action – aside from being highly-suspect business practice – also extremely spiteful and vindictive?
The manager
Paul Jewell is a rarity: an up and coming, highly-capable English football coach plying his trade at the highest level. He’s worked wonders at Wigan, a club many pundits tipped to go straight back down when elevated- for the first time - to Premiership status at the end of the 04/05 season. But, again, his judgement must be called into question regarding the handling of the Chimbonda situation.
Were all those very public outbursts really necessary? Would it not have been wiser for him to keep his lips pursed and allow matters to run their course? Did he, in short, really need to get involved at all? One of his most idiotic quotes came after Tottenham decided they would not match Chimbonda’s £6m price tag and would seek to bolster their defensive options elsewhere.
Jewell is reported to have said: “Tottenham bought Carrick for £3m and have just sold him for £18.6 million. They can’t have it both ways. I’ve pointed out to Pascal that when we bought him for £400,000 nobody knew him. Now he is in the PFA team of the year and the French World Cup squad.â€? Testicles.
Fact is, Tottenham sold Carrick for £14m – the remaining £4.6m, as was widely-reported, is dependant on number of appearances the player makes in a Man Yoo/Eng-go-land shirt - which means Tottenham got four and a half times more than they paid for a player they’d purchased (and whose talent they nurtured) for two seasons. Conversely, in seeking a fee of £6m, Wigan are expecting a preposterous FIFTEEN times more return for a player they signed from Bastia just ONE season ago. Which begs two other questions:
Does Mr Jewell own a calculator? And, if so, isn’t it about time he read the instruction manual?
Even more astonishing is Jewell’s recent outpouring where he intimated the player can still be a part of his future plans. You can only wonder what would Chimbonda have to do to convince his manager he believes his future lays elsewhere? Should he perhaps get a tattoo on his forehead bearing - in inch-high letters - the legend, “I REALLY DON’T WANNA BE HERE, ME…�? Might that do the trick? How on earth does Jewell think he is going to motivate him? And does he seriously expect Chimbonda’s team-mates to welcome him back with open arms too?
The supporters
How must Wigan fans feel about this whole fiasco? Imagine the prospect of seeing a player running around for your chosen team who patently doesn’t want to play for you. And what should they do? Cheer him in hope encouragement might raise his game or boo him off the pitch in disgust? Tricky one, isn’t it?
The Guardian recently reported that a small section of the club’s core supporters turned out to shout abuse at Chimbonda and his agent when they arrived at the club’s training ground for pre-season showdown talks with Jewell, so any hope the player might have of a sympathetic reception doesn’t look promising. So, why hold on to him? More broadly, isn’t it about time we - as supporters - lowered our expectation levels of loyalty in the modern game?
Talisman players like Gerrard, Terry and King are now the exception rather than the rule. Fact. Surely we need to accept that - Cashley Cole aside -when our club’s employ Johnny Foreigner; he is unlikely to possess the same attachment to our team a home-grown player might. Isn’t that obvious?
Sadly, most of the questions posed above, seem destined – just like Pascal’s Chimbonda’s transfer request – to go unanswered but maybe there’s an harsh life lesson we can all learn from his contractual imprisonment: You can’t make someone love you and doing your utmost to prevent them finding contentment with someone else, isn’t big, clever, wise or advantageous. In ANY sense.
Spread the word. Inform Amnesty International. There has been an injustice on Planet Football:
Free The Wigan One…
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Word. Tony my man, you are brilliant. I’ve often thought that myself - having (mostly) been a fan on only one side of the fence, looking at players asking their clubs to let them go so that we could have them. Yes, I’m a United fan, and yes, I *am* referring to people like Saha. Which one is the ‘right’ side is debatable, but it’s going on a bit too much right now - a la Cole, Gallas, Chimbonda, etc etc.
I’ve stated elsewhere that this media frenzy is complete rubbish.
The one singular problem in this farce in WILLIE McKAY.
He had three players at Wigan last season, Roberts who he unsettled and moved, Chimbonda, who signed a nice 4 year contract in October 2005, who he has unsettled but as yet has been unabled to collect his fee from and Camara who has just signed an improved contract and no doubt will be touted around from next week. I seem to remember he did the same at Ciie with Joey Barton at Christmas.
The man is always just looking for his commission and doesn’t care about club or player.
Unfortunately he came up against a very rich and extremely stubborn man in Dave Whelan, who doesn’t have to sell Chimbonda at all, never mind at McKay’s valuation.
I agree that the situation is not best for any party, but a contract has been signed and Whelan holds that. He will relinquish the contract when he feels the time is right or an acceptable fee is offered which he is within his rights to do and no amount of pressure will make him change his mind. Chimbonda would do well to dispense with Mr McKay’s services and certainly drop this stupid legal threat
Just to put things right, Chimbonda was injured for the Newcastle game and gave 100% when he came on against Reading.
Hasan: Firstly, thank you for the kind words.
Personally, I think this Chimbonda thing - and the Cashley Cole saga - has been going on way too long. Given the way he (Chimbonda) asked for a transfer, it v. difficult to defend him but those that condemn him outright need to look at their own lives. Can you imagine if this dubious morality was applied in the real world? What one of us wouldn’t jack in our jobs tomorrow if we were offered better pay and higher status?!! The sad truth in this case is no-one comes out well - not the player, the manager, the board of directors or, indeed, Wigan’s fans.
A pretty decent article, and factually accurate for once.
I do however agree with the stance of the football club here.
He is their player,they took the risk on him, put in the time and had faith in him.
The fact he was bought for just £400,000 has nothing to do with the value of the player now.
John Terry cost Chelsea nothing, he is now the England captain, would they be wrong to demand a fee if they decided to sell?
£6M is what Wigan want, if they get it,that remains to be seen, but its their decision, and they should not be bullied by Spurs into letting him go for less just because they are a small club. Well done Wigan for standing up to players, their agents and the big clubs.
“Foreigner; he is unlikely to possess the same attachment to our team a home-grown player might. Isn’t that obvious?”
It’s bloody obvious! Would I ever show loyalty to my company when another company is offering me a better pay and also better future prospects? No.
But if I have been with the company since the beginning? Maybe.
As fans we tend to forget that these guys are just are getting paid for their skills in the same way we all are. Besides, these guys have a shelf life of 10-12 years, I wouldn’t fault them for trying to achieve a lot and earning more in that period. Not everybody earns the same amount as a Beckham or a Henry. And its not like these guys have too many options after they retire either.
Dan: Apologies - I must confess that I was unaware Chimbonda’s absence from the Geordie game was due to injury and, obviously, retract any insinuation that he was dropped. Thanks for the heads up…
Paul: You make a good point and - of course - a club should try to secure the very best price for the player but I still don’t really see what you gain from pricing a player so high that it puts any potential buyers off! Point is; it is the player HIMSELF that wants away. Wigan have a right to play hardball with Spurs (and any other interested party) but, in doing so, may win a hollow moral victory that sees them left with a discontented soul ’til January at the v. least. And how much will he be worth if Fitz Hall (apparently FH’s nick name is “One Size” - love it) gets the nod from Jewell for the right back role? Not much, of course! Does that make any sense for any of the parties involved?
Tony, You are full of it. Chimbonda to date has put in a transfer request, agreed to stay beyond the transfer window and threatened legal action. He hasnt got a clue. With regard to price thats quite simple - he is a £6 million player, the valuation is not inflated, his fellow professionals voted him best right back in the premiership - Steve Finnan - how much, Gary Neville, how much - can you name another he is better than of note - erm Paulo Ferreira what did Chelski pay??? Pascal played right midfield against V. Arnhem and was class. As a Latics season ticket holder and having been at the Reading game - look at the crowd reaction when he got up to warm up. He is very much wanted still - I appreciate his ambition - perhaps he shouldnt have signed away the buy out clause so willingly.!!!! He looked motivated and for me it’s up to him to convince a bigger club he is not a 1 season wonder and warrants the transfer fee.
SportsSnob: Well said. I love it when people get me - it happens SO rarely ;o)
Mark: You got me! Okay, it’s a fair cop, guv - it was me what done it, so it was. I admit it; to a degree I’m playing devil’s advocate with this one. Mind you, I am GENIUNELY interested in Chimbonda’s story cos I get the feeling he’s got plenty, plenty to lose - unlike Cashley and Gallas - if resolution isn’t found.
tony in your original article you say that after paying 400k for chimbonda wigan have no right to ask 6 mill from any buyer,fiddlesticks !!
if you go down to your local car boot sale this sunday and discover some long lost ‘rembrant’for 50 quid will you or anyone else instruct sotherby’s to sell it for a “reasonable amount” because you got it cheap, would you bollocks you would expect the full market value,every club pays over the odds at times and also every club cash in and make a bob or two more than players are sometimes worth,its called market forces and ask yourself this how many players in the pfa team of the year are valued under 6 million?
I watched chimbonda last season and he is every bit as good as any right fullback i saw in the premiership,that is the reason spurs want him but the also thought wigan may be a soft touch which has proved not to be.
looks like Spurs have got him and Malbranque…!
yup - chimbonda for 3.75 (rising up to 5.25 based on appearances) and malbranque for 2.5.
nice bit of business for tottenham.
oh ho - COYS should be happy
Sick, sick. I agree with Tony, Cole and Gallas can live with what they have - they have the money to compensate for it already (or they will, soon). Chimbonda didn’t, and good luck to him (except when he’s playing United and Wigan, of course!) 
I think it makes Tony’s point even more pertinent - Bayern, Arsenal (so far) and Chelsea, can afford not to sell; while Wigan, Fulham, etc, have to - and I do think it comes down to the wages the bigger clubs can pay to sweeten the deal, so to speak. What a nice little microcosm of the corporate world.
Bah.
Okay - confession time: Yesterday, a little bird landed on my shoulder and whispered that something might be happening with Chimbonda. Problem with this football-writing lark is your efforts can become old news v. quickly. Luckily, Ahmed moved swiftly to get it up on here before it reached its sell-by.
Damian: Being a bit pedantic here, but at NO point did I say in the piece that “Wigan have no right to ask 6 mill from any buyer..” What I did say is that once it became clear they were not gonna get it, negotation was surely a better option than stubbornly playing hardball. Football clubs are businesses and no business can afford allow its assets to devalue. A truism borne out should the current rumour become fact…
Hasan: This sentence may well disappoint you: I AM a spurs fan also. However, I will greet the official news of Chimmy’s coming with trepidation. I won’t be surprised if he pulls a similar stroke at WHL if we fail to get a CL place this term and decides he wants to play for Man Yoo instead! The lesson here is: in modern football, morality will always lose out to cold, hard economics unless - of course - you have a Russian billionaire sugar-daddy at the helm.