January 11 2005

Simon Jordan

Simon Jordan has slammed WAYNE ROUTLEDGE and his agent after the youngster refused to sign a new contract.

ROUTLEDGE, 20, has snubbed a lucrative five-year deal and is set to leave Crystal Palace with Spurs the favourites to land his signature.

Palace could cash in on him during the transfer window or risk losing him for a small fee in the summer when his current contract runs out.

"The player's only 19, (he has now turned 20), and we are of course claiming compensation at the end of his contract if he chooses not to re-sign," Jordan told Sky Sports News.

"But we want to offer him a new contract because we see WAYNE as still learning his trade, playing in a team where he can still very much grow and become a player rather than a potential player and working with a manager who can help him with that.

"We offered him what was probably one of the most lucrative contracts that a young teenage player can be offered.

"I put it to him direct, I wanted to put it to him direct because the player is our player, my player, if he wants to pass it on to his agent that's entirely his prerogative.

"But we were then told via Stretford to Bob Dowie that this player will not be signing for this club, it doesn't matter what we put in front of him, how much or when, he will not be signing for this club.

"WAYNE seems to have followed this through with a discussion with Iain Dowie illustrating that he possibly wants to go on to what he perceives to be a bigger club with better players.

"And the question for people like me, and ultimately for Iain, is how in god's name does an agent, whose entire motivation is his own gain, succeed in achieving a divisiveness between the player and club who have had the boy for eight years and looked after his family, given him his opportunity and every encouragement, how does someone like that wield this level of influence over a player?"