Ricky Holmes – not one of Charlton’s top earners – requested a pay rise at the end of the season.
Holmes wanted a salary that reflected his importance to the team.
The Player Of The Year is a dead ball specialist, and finished the season as the Addicks’ top scorer with 13 goals. His influence on the team is profound.
Holmes arrived at The Valley last summer as the reining Northampon Player Of The Year, contributing 12 goals to the Cobblers’ League Two title winning season.
Northampton’s manager, Chris Wilder, came close to taking over at The Valley, before accepting a late offer to become manager at home town club, Sheffield United.
Holmes was one of the players Wilder wanted to bring to Charlton, and despite
his former boss opting to go to Bramall Lane, Holmes completed his move to The Valley.
It was the first time that Holmes had played at League One level, and his consistently good form was always going to attract interest from elsewhere.
Unsurprisingly, Wilder has been trying to prise Holmes away from south London, and despite having a bid rejected by the Addicks, he is not giving up on his pursuit of the player.
Holmes now has an improved offer from Charlton to consider, and it could be that the south Londoners have the advantage.
The diminutive winger is 29-years-old, and it would probably need an exceptional offer to lure him north.
The Blades have a strict salary scale in place, and will not pay silly wages. This is what Wilder told the Sheffield Star:
“We’ll be competitive, and we’ll be ambitious, but I don’t want somebody on x and somebody else on ten times that.
“Players understand the bar gets raised if you progress. Then it’s up to the others to catch up.
“Wages go up when you get promotion but we’ll do it sensibly, so this club is always here.
“We’ve got a weekly budget and a transfer kitty.”
Addicks fans will be hoping that the salary mantra at Bramall Lane will allow Charlton to make Holmes an acceptable offer to keep him at The Valley.