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The Mallorcan Standoff
For the last three transfer windows there have been rumours of Nikola Zigic returning to Spain, allowing his hefty salary to be lifted from the wage bill. This transfer window has been no different, although there has been a step up in gear it would seem on the pressure put on Blues to let the lanky Serb go.
I’ve been following news on this transfer from various Spanish websites, and it has to be said that Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, who is Director of Football at the Balearic club has been very bullish in his statements. This evening, the well-known Spanish newspaper Marca ran this story whereby Ferrer has said that the club have come to an agreement with Zigic re wages and it’s now down to Blues to agree a contract termination figure. On Tuesday, Ferrer told the press that the difference between Zigic and Blues was half a million quid.
I have to be honest and say I’m sceptical as to the veracity of these statements. Without wishing to stereotype it’s not been unusual in the past to see hubristic statements in the press from various Spanish club officials about what players their club are going to sign and as I’ve said before, this whole deal has been a saga played out over the last eighteen months.
Furthermore, you have to ask yourself about the financial implications. If Blues were to pay off Zigic to allow him to move on it would take money out of the budget to sign another player to replace him – the figure of half a million quid is roughly equivalent to a wage of 10k per week – and that doesn’t take into account if Blues have agreed to pay any of his wages off as it is.
Think about it logically – is it better for Blues to pay (the reported wage of) 50k per week to Zigic, who does score goals for us and has been useful to the team – as the last two games have shown – or is it better to pay off a chunk of that equivalent to say 10k per week for the rest of the year and then have to find a fee, signing on fee, wages and the rest for another striker who might not do as well. The phrase “better the devil you know” springs to mind.
It’s been reported in the Birmingham Mail that Zigic is happy to be at Blues. He likes the city, he’s settled at the club and he wants to play – so you’d think he’s not going to move for the sake of it. In that same report it’s mentioned that Peter Pannu is playing hardball with the Spanish over Zigic and that he’s not going to let the Serb striker go without it being absolutely right for Birmingham City.
If I had to stick my neck on the line, I’d say it’s my personal belief that Zigic will not be going anywhere this transfer window. Whilst I can believe that Mallorca do want Zigic and that they’re more serious than other attempts by other clubs to sign Zigic in other transfer windows have been, I can’t see Pannu budging and it’s going to be down to someone else to swallow a massive hit financially. I’d also say that in my opinion Blues are better off with Ziggy here – he’s a talismanic type who has a knack for scoring goals in important situations and I’d be sad to see him go. With just a week left in the window, this is a standoff that will not go on for too much longer.
Tags: Nikola Zigic
51 Responses to “The Mallorcan Standoff”
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I agree, Ziggy may not have the silky touch of a talented midfielder but he scores goals and causes opposition problems. I like Ziggy, I think he is an honest bloke who loves the club and interacts well with the fans. I hope we can hang on to him because as you have stated in the mad overpriced world of football £10k a week doesn’t get you far.
You can get his type of player from the lower leagues at a fraction of the cost. I like him and I like that type of player but I dont like what he is costing us
Also, the more you let his contract run down, the less you are likely to get for him when he is sold on so for that reason alone i think he has to go
Tom Ross said on his twitter feed that There’s been a massive row between blues, zigic and his agent.. Personally if that is the case I’d let the guy leave but credit to panu for digging his heels in.. Zigic has been something of an enigma for Blues and I wonder will he go down as a Birmingham legend or just another where are they now?
Dave , the ‘ enigmatic’ ( as you kindly put it ) Zigic won’t even make the ‘ Where are they now ‘ bracket. He’ll generate more of a pantomime chorus along the lines of ‘ There he is , over there ! ‘
His heart’s in the right place etc , but the reality is a very poor standard of competency indeed.
KEEP ZIGGY
hes the only player playing with any passion at the minute
he saved our bacon against charlton and we were a better side with him on the pitch against wednesday . and thats without his history with the club who knows he may just be ready to tear this division a new one
kro
Keep Ziggy, I say. Is the claret and blue ad at the top of this page someone’s little joke?
I hope big Zig reads these blogs because the vast majority of us Blues fans love him here at Blues. If some people didn’t before, they certainly do now!
And Zig, if you do read any of this… Please stay at the Blues and stay angry! It suits you and terrifies defenders.
Whatever happens, Zig will be a cult hero down St Andrews for years to come
KRO
Al dave sherlock says there has been a massive row between blues, Zigik and his agent is it true and about what regards maurice in Thailand
We cant let zig go!
What would i do with my shirt with 84 on it yes the magical minute he scored against the vile.
Top geezer should end his carrear here.
some fans see Zigic as an untalented donkey for some reason,but he always seems to come up with important goals and is certainly scoring at the moment and playing with passion. blues certainly shouldn’t let him go on the cheap!
Ziggy must stay – he’s 100% blue, loves the place and his family are happy here.
Unfortunately he doesn’t love enough to agree a subs in his millstone wages to help us. As for Pannu and hardball, well its just a pity that he didn’t do that when negotiating the Zigic contract he might just have had a relegation clause cutting his salary in half then. Ziggy is making a difference right now and playing with passion but maybe thats also due to him making what he believes will be his swan song appearance(s) or just annoyance at not being picked by the boss.
look tms no-one outside blues knows for sure what ziggy’s on. it’s only speculation abouthow big an amount it is and i’ve heard various amounts mentioned. We seemed to have made a profit last year despite his wages so it can’t be that much of a millstone!
hubristic, great word.
This is a game I’ve seen played before. Ziggy states he is happy but behind the scenes is talking to Mallorca. Most players are in it for the money so if Ziggy can sign a new contract with Mallorca on the same money then you can’t blame him for this. However, I just wish players would be more honest about this. Saying that I think Mallorca saw Blues as easy pickings but have come up against a formidable opponent in PP. Mallorca can bleat all they want to the media and so can agents but it’s PP that holds the cards and he knows it. PP will do whatever is in the best interests if BCFC and not Ziggy or Mallorca.
He is scoring goals now because he is wound up. I wish he would be more aggressive more often.
Simple facts tho is he doesnt do this often enough to justify the huge wages he is on IMO.
I suspect as well he wont be leaving. Agent wants us to pay up his contract and we dont want to do that as we are letting him go on a free (writing off 6 million). Mallorca have no money so tell them to go somewhere where the sun dont shine.
Dont kid yourself Zigic loves the Blues. He is happy being here because of the whopping salary he is on. If he is so good then what is he doing in the championship? Did he take a pay cut when we got relegated and went through the proverbial do da?
Simple fact is we are a championship team who cant afford to pay premiership wages indefinitely.I am sure there are plenty of strikers that can score 1 in every 3-4 games at this level out there on far less money.
look evesham hes in the championship cause blues are in the championship. it’s only rumour and speculation what zigggies on we don’t know for sure what hes really on or whether or not he took a cut. al said he knew but it’s only second hand information!
We have been trying to offload Zigic for the last 3 transfer windows now because of his wages.You dont sign someone for 6 million in the premiership and pay him peanuts now do you?
The fact we have been doing this makes it logical he is someone we cant really afford now doesnt it? It is also logical that the reason he is still here is because no one wants to pay his wages to take him off us.
thats one theory. In every transfer window theres always loads of speculation about various players. it doesn’t mean they’re going anywhere!
evesham i think you have got your facts wrong . if you’re right about ziggy’s wages we were paying them last year and we made a profit, so therefore the club must be able to afford his wages otherwise they’d be doing a portsmouth and taking the first offer!
evesham i think you have got your facts wrong . if you’re right about ziggy’s wages we were paying them last year and we made a profit, so therefore the club must be able to afford his wages otherwise they’d be doing a Portsmouth and taking the first offer!
We sold how many players last year to balance the books despite Zigic’s contract situation? Mate get real will you. You seriously believe Blues are not trying to get rid of Zigic? Why would they be doing that then? It would make sense to keep a player on low wages scoring goals wouldnt it!
evesham we haven’t got a player on low wages scoring goals!
I don’t know if you realise but last year the three promoted clubs each spent £15million or more on transfers. blues finished fourth having spent nothing. if blues are going to get back to the premier league then maybe they have to have one or two big earners to make the difference!
The opposition must breath a sigh of relief when Zigic is left on the bench.
He is on the bench because we are trying to send a message we dont want tro keep him because of his wages. The message being you can sit here at the Blues and cream the club of money but dont expect to be a starter then. That may change when we cant get rid of him
A good article this I think youve hit the nail on the head with the better the devil you know statement. We all know he’s a bit hit and miss but he does get goals and defenders hate playing against him .
Who else are we going to get thats going to garentee goals? Torres?
Nicky Wicky I am someone who classes Zigic as someone who isn’t worth 6mill or 50-60k a week when you watch him he doesn’t run in the most important times, hes 6ft 8 and can’t jump more than 2inchs, he loves to be offside, who ever scouted him as a kid needs shooting, yes he scores the odd goal here and there and 4 against Leeds last season, but he’s not a blues hero he’s a blues robber peopl need to remember he gets 50-60k a week, when he does leave the club he will want paying off, I think clubs should look out for players like him he saw a opportunity and took it which is what life is all about but still he is a Serbian robber,
tom your one of those morons who can’t see the wood for the trees. who thinks that the only good striker is one that can do certain things like jump,etc.at the end of the day he is paid to score goals and he does that. in the season we got relegated he scored 7 goals in 3 months before getting injured. jerome scored 4 goals in the whole season! If he had been fit we would never have gone down. He is the only one of the blues strikers that is capable of scoring more than one goal a game i think,and if he keeps fit he could be the one that gets us promoted this season. he also brings others into play and the opposition have to put an extra defender on him so it makes spaces for others! right now he is about the only one scoring,and hes only come off the bench. I’ve seen the two games and he’s certainly made a difference when he has come on. We need to tighten up in defence and Butland needs some extra sessions with the goalie coach.
tom your one of those morons who can’t see the wood for the trees. who thinks that the only good striker is one that can do certain things like jump,etc.at the end of the day he is paid to score goals and he does that. in the season we got relegated he scored 7 goals in 3 months before getting injured. jerome scored 4 goals in the whole season! If he had been fit we would never have gone down. He is the only one of the blues strikers that is capable of scoring more than one goal a game i think,and if he keeps fit he could be the one that gets us promoted this season. he also brings others into play and the opposition have to put an extra defender on him so it makes spaces for others! right now he is about the only one scoring,and hes only come off the bench. I’ve seen the two games and he’s certainly made a difference when he has come on. We need to tighten up in defence and Butland needs some extra sessions with the goalie coach.
The fact that Zigic is alleged to be on 50K a week has been stated over and over and over again for the last 3 years. It clearly causes much consternation amongst supporters. If Zigic was on a lot less than this, then firstly we would have had far more interest in him and secondly, PP would have stepped in to reassure the fans. When I first heard that we had signed a 6 foot 8 world cup player for 6 million, I could not wait to see him. When I did see him, to be frank my heart sank. He has been a millstone around our neck ever since and to be honest I would like to see the club sell him and move on!
why? I know he looks a bit gangly,but he has a good touch for a big man,and brigns others into play. If it hadn’t been for his injuries we would still be a premier league team. cameron jerome couldn’t score to save his life. after ziggy got injured the goals dried up,and so did the wins. when he plays blues play better! so he might be geting big money,but at the end of the day he has that extra bit of quality,and experience that makes the difference! If he plays like last season and scores 2,3,4 goals a game then it could change blues season!
why? I know he looks a bit gangly,but he has a good touch for a big man,and brigns others into play. If it hadn’t been for his injuries we would still be a premier league team. cameron jerome couldn’t score to save his life. after ziggy got injured the goals dried up,and so did the wins. when he plays blues play better! so he might be geting big money,but at the end of the day he has that extra bit of quality,and experience that makes the difference! If he plays like last season and scores 2,3,4 goals a game then it could change blues season!
Sometimes Zig is not the easiest on the eye,but take a look at his leveller v Charlton,long ball up to Zig,held off 2 defenders,directed his header to a blues player,collected the return pass,beat a couple of players,and found the corner.
Had it not been for his poor injury record,i am sure he would have been a bigger success,and looking at the way the season has gone so far i would be keeping hold of Zig,at least till January,unless there is somebody out there better……..i dont see anybody.
Trouble with Ziggy, he always seems to play at his best during the transfer window. Having said that, he terrifies defenders who too often try to get him booked in order to calm him down.
“We Can’t Let Ziggy Go…” – surely ther’es a song in there somewhere?
he flys like a bird in the sky aye aye he flys like a bird or me oh mai we can’t let ziggy go!
He flies likes a bird in the sky
He flies likes a bird and I am glad thaat he is mine,
He flies likes a bird oh me oh my
I see hi si
Now I know we cant let Ziggy go
(dont know what hi si means, but that was on the roiginal lyrics, sung to the tune of I cant let maggie go)
Video here – http://www.musictory.com/music/Honeybus/I+Can%27t+Let+Maggie+Go
WHY do people complain about Ziggy because he is on high wages?? He is on high wages because of his prior outstanding record. It drives me nuts when twerps like Tom say;
‘who ever scouted him as a kid needs shooting, yes he scores the odd goal here and there and 4 against Leeds last season….’
He scored dozens and dozens a season for his clubs before coming to Blues, and when he is fit – he may not look pretty – but he scores goals for us too!
He doesn’t make the runs, because speed is not his strengh
Saying he is always offside is plain wrong. Look at Jerome, or King and you will see them off-side twice as much
Saying he cant jump? True, this was an issue, but have you seen him lately? Obviously not, because he wins EVERYTHING!
Seriously, some bluenoses know so little about the game of football it drives me nuts…..
It is not a matter of complaining, more a prudent observation and resulting comments, which is what blog sites are all about. Zigic cost 6 million pound and commands 50k per week. He was the Champioship’s joint 23rd highest goal scorer last season and was bettered by many midfielders including Burke and including a player we let go for nothing. Of the 22 higher than Zigic, the purchase fees combined of a high proportion of them, were probably less than it cost for Zigic.
His goal-scoring record is here — overall 194 goals in 338 league games. I would say that is not a bad ratio.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_%C5%BDigi%C4%87
the big man only wants whats best for his family dont blame him wuldnt anyone want the same scored at wembley well worth the money
194 is ahold record, bluenosesol I see were you are coming from 22nd goal scorer he’s rubbish, Jerome only got 4 goals because the manager was a MUG who got the midfield to whooooopppfff the ball up to him, all Jerome done is his last season was chance silly balls, Nicky Wicky and Alex T go to bed shave ya head tell me what ya mum said…
Bluenosesol – what a great recording ‘The honeybus’ – anyway I agree with the majority that ziggy does and will score goals, cause chaos with defenders albeit on a healthy wage for a team in the championship. It’s probably better the devil you know etc etc who will score you goals not like Jerome running around like a headless chicken!! If the sums add up and we don’t have to sell him cheaply, then the team and his confidence can only benefit the club overall.
Ziggy can be unplayable at times when he is fit and on song. He has played in the champions league and la liga most of his career and is a proven international striker that’s why his on so much money. His injury record has been pretty poor for blues through no fault of his own. He is looking good after having a full pre season and I for one hope we keep hold of him he always makes things happen and caused defenders to panic. If he does go will blues re invest in a proven international like Ziggy? No chance! All those knockers get behind him his goal scoring record in matches he has started isn’t too bad and me personally think his performances have been pretty good too! Hear he is meant to be starting tomorrow do hopefully his performance will back up my case!! KRO
when he gets injured and we’re paying £3 million in wages for nothing and the club can’t afford a replacement, the moaners will be blaming pannu for not offloading him.
at the end of the day we owe £20 million to bihl or their creditors and next season we lose £8 million in payments.
ain’t rocket science unless you want another pompey.
Fair play to PP for sticking to his word on this one. Of course Zigic is for sale ..for an eye popping offer! So basically, his agent is a complete tool, who has been trying to get a club (and a cut) for his striker in spain for a while now.
…erm …Spain??? A country which is basically up sh*t creek economically and the only pieces of financial stability are Real Madrid and Barcelona??? Wow, and all his agent can get him is Mallorca, and even then is requesting a free transfer??
I think Zigic will be staying.
But please dont slate the other lads off, because if you look closely, you will find the ones that do the hard work are the ones that need our support behind them.
If we keep the faith and stop being negative, it will work. We’ve got a strong team and they do work together, the problem is ..we’ve just got to realise LC is new to us and wants what we want. I hope the wins will come when the team somehow slots into a formula they like working with …if that takes Fahey to come back, Carr in the coaching team, Zigic back with the spaniards or Mr Blobby up with Marlon, then if we are winning …then its good.
Off topic,but i see Wolves are looking to off load Stephen Hunt for next to nothing,he can operate LB,LM,LW surely Clark must step in and sign this guy asap.
haha! Please, a big NO to Stephen Hunt.
Tom, sorry for calling you a twerp. I was frustrated yesterday and i resorted to insults because i couldn’t understand someone elses opinion. I do this sometimes and I shouldn’t, so sorry mate
Big Zig is still ace though! ;)
[…] covered the Zigic story on Friday and I’ve continued to follow various Spanish websites to keep an idea on what they’re […]
[…] The story has been doing the rounds in Spain for the last few weeks. The latest I have was published at midnight Friday, on the Terra sport website – an entity similar to Yahoo or suchlike. It confirms what we all knew – that Zigic isn’t in any rush to go anywhere and despite the exhortings of the Mallorca Director of Football Lorenzo Serra Ferrer Los Bermellones are no closer to signing the Serb striker. Mallorca cannot afford the wages Zigic is on currently; Ziggy isn’t going to take a pay-cut because he is happy and settled in Birmingham and Blues aren’t going to pay him off to play for someone else – all as I have detailed before. […]