10 Examples of Hyped Contract Extensions That Meant Absolutely Nothing
Marco Reus has signed a new contract with Borussia Dortmund! Rob Draper confirms in the Daily Mail that the new deal ties the German to the Bundesliga side until 2019, so that's great news for fans of a side who have unexpectedly struggled this season.
Except things don't always work out that way, do they?
As Draper himself indicates in that report, the deal could just be little more than the act of removing the release clause in the deal of one of the most coveted wide men in world football, and as we've seen plenty of times before, the number of years on a new contract don't often mean much in football...
Luis Suarez’s Liverpool Future 'Secured for the Long Term'—December 2013
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A day before captaining Liverpool and scoring twice in a 3-1 win over Cardiff City at Anfield, Luis Suarez put pen to paper on what the club's official website described as a “new long-term contract” in order to stay at Anfield.
Suarez was quoted in that report as saying:
"I am delighted to have agreed a new deal with Liverpool and have my future secured for the long term.
We have some great players and the team is growing and improving all the time. I believe I can achieve the ambitions of winning trophies and playing at the very highest level with Liverpool. My aim is to help get us there as quickly as possible.
"
The Uruguayan was arguably in the form of his life at the time as he ignited Liverpool’s title charge, but after the Reds’ second-placed finish and his World Cup bite on Giorgio Chiellini, he was off to Barcelona less than eight months later.
"As quickly as possible" indeed.
Cesc Fabregas Signs on at Arsenal Until 2014 'To Win Trophies'—October 2006
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Then a fresh-faced 19-year-old who had just appeared in the Champions League final five months earlier, Cesc Fabregas signed a huge eight-year deal with Arsenal in October 2006, citing to BBC Sport just how excited he was about his future at the club, saying:
"I wanted to pay back the club, especially Arsene Wenger for the support and faith he has shown in me.
What is important now is for the team to realise its potential and win trophies. That is our main aim, that is my aim as well.
"
No trophies arrived, though, and had Fabregas seen out that contract, he would still have been at Arsenal right up until last summer.
However he left to move back to his first club Barcelona in 2011, before returning to the Premier League with Chelsea in that very same summer he could have been completing his 12th year with the Gunners.
Cristiano Ronaldo Stays at Manchester United Until 'at Least 2012'—April 2007
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Before what would become his very best season in a Manchester United shirt—2007/08’s haul of 42 goals in 49 games which would culminate in a Champions League win—Cristiano Ronaldo’s decision to sign a new five-year contract at Manchester United was greeted with triumph on the club’s official website.
Ronaldo himself was also pleased, saying:
"I am delighted. I spoke with Sir Alex and David Gill about my future, and everyone knew that I wanted to stay."
And he did indeed stay, but for only two more years of his scheduled five. Real Madrid’s money machine then kicked in and a then-world-record fee of £80 million took him to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2009.
It’s fair to say that he’s done pretty well there.
Wilfried Bony 'Ties' Himself to Swansea Until 2018—November 2014
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This one has to be a record for the subject, with Swansea City’s Wilfried Bony leaving the club less than two months after signing an extension to his contract last November.
Swans supporters were delighted when their Ivorian hitman committed himself to the Liberty Stadium until 2018, with manager Garry Monk telling the club's website:
"When we talk about the future and progressing it can’t be just talk – there has to be commitment from myself, the players and the club.
Bony has bought into the direction the club wants to take. He is a big player for us so to tie down his future is fantastic news for everyone connected with the club.
"
Less than two months later though, as reported by The Guardian, Bony was off to Manchester City for £25 million, signing a four-and-a-half year contract with the club which will take him up to 2019.
We’ll just see about that, shall we?
Gareth Bale Aims for Champions League as He Signs 4-Year Spurs Deal—June 2012
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"The fans have been great to me and I'd love to repay them and do the very best for them. I want to play my part in trying to get us back into the Champions League—where we belong."
As reported by BBC Sport, those were Gareth Bale's words when he committed to Tottenham Hotspur until the summer of 2016 with a four-year contract in June 2012.
However, despite Bale’s best efforts and 26 goals in the 2012/13 campaign, Spurs couldn’t get back among Europe’s elite, and a world-record switch to Real Madrid was looming for the Welshman, with the deal completed in September 2013.
Angel Di Maria to 'Keep Growing' at Real Madrid After 6-Year Deal—August 2012
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Perhaps as a direct consequence of that Bale transfer, Angel Di Maria found himself squeezed out at Real Madrid in the summer of 2014, eventually moving on to Manchester United and becoming the most expensive player in British football.
The Argentine couldn’t have seen such a move coming when he committed himself to Real in 2012, signing a huge six-year deal until 2018 and singing the club’s praises, according to Goal.com, saying:
"Personally, I have greatly improved, thanks to [manager Jose] Mourinho. I thank God for the work and sacrifice I made every day, and with every game, I managed to win the affections of the fans. I am delighted with them.
I am fulfilling a dream that I had as a child. I am very happy here and this contract extension gives me the opportunity to remain here for many years and keep growing.
"
Wayne Rooney 'To Never Play for Another Club' After Everton Deal—January 2003
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"This is a dream come true for me. I never wanted to go to another club and playing for Everton means a lot to me."
As the BBC reported, Wayne Rooney certainly seemed committed to the Everton cause after signing his new contract with the Blues in January 2003, with the deal intended to keep him at Goodison Park until the end of the 2005/06 season.
Rooney’s rapid development had made others sit up and take notice, though, and it was only a year-and-a-half later when he switched to Manchester United in a £27 million deal which, 10-and-a-half years later, seems like a good piece of business.
Thierry Henry Will 'Never Play in Spain' After 'Final' Arsenal Deal—May 2006
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"I've never played in Spain and never will. This is my last contract."
Thierry Henry was pretty adamant about where his future lay when he the BBC reported that he’d signed a new four-year contract with Arsenal in May 2006, just after the Gunners had been beaten by Barcelona in the Champions League final.
Just over a year later, he was signing another four-year contract, however, this time with Barca as he completed a move to La Liga—although crucially not Spain—and brought an end to what had been eight hugely successful years at Arsenal in which he’d developed into one of the finest forwards in world football.
Henry would stay at the Nou Camp for three of those four years, winning his one and only Champions League title in 2009.
Diego Costa Snubs Liverpool to Stay at Atletico Madrid Until 2018—August 2013
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As revealed by the Liverpool Echo in August 2013, Liverpool were hot on the heels of the Atletico Madrid forward Diego Costa and submitted a £22 million bid for a player who had scored 20 goals in 44 games the previous season.
The Reds’ offer was rejected, though, with Costa instead signing a three-year extension to his Atletico deal and deciding to stay in the Spanish capital until 2018, with The Guardian reporting him as saying:
"I am very happy with the deal, it is a very special moment.
I am delighted with this agreement after fighting for a long time to win the respect and affection of the fans, my team-mates and people in the club.
"
One prolific season later, though, and he was to be seen in the Premier League, only in the blue of Chelsea and not the red of the Merseysiders.
Adam Lallana 'Snaps Hands Off' to Stay at Southampton—April 2013
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Southampton’s official website had good news for the club’s fans in April 2013, as club captain Adam Lallana signed a new contract to keep him at St Mary's until the summer of 2018.
Lallana told the site:
"I've been at the club since I was 12 and – being honest – I can only see my future lying with Southampton Football Club.
If someone was to say that I'd end my career playing for Southampton in the Premier League then I'd snap your hand off for it.
"
No one said that, however, and after a stellar campaign in 2013/14 which saw him nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award, Lallana’s head was turned by a transfer approach from Liverpool, who after a protracted saga signed the 26-year-old on a five-year deal in July last year.
