19 May 2015 12:35:31
I see Sterlings agent has just come out and said that this talk of leaving is premature!!!! What is Ady struggling to find the lad a club now that he has realised that we will not be held to ransome, wATCH THIS SPACE, Sterling will stay and his agent will be sacked and deservedly so!!!! This still does not excuse Brenda bty, I want him gone as well!!!

{Ed002's Note - If he refuses to leave and invokes the Webster ruling in December Liverpool will be screwed financially - that is why he has said this.}

1.) 19 May 2015
19 May 2015 12:58:31
Hey ed002, I read about the Webster ruling and it honestly seems bogus. There seems to be a lot of legal issues around it.

My question is, do the club have the right to sue if such an action is taken? I read celtic's comments about the ruling and that they would sue any player who took that option. I do think it belittles the already ridiculous concept of a contract.

{Ed002's Note - They could take it to court, but not sue the player. I should say it is really, really unlikely to happen, but as of mid December this year Sterling could indeed buy out the final year of his contract, effectively making himself a free agent at the end of next season. It would not allow him to talk with other clubs outside of the EPL in January though. This is why I have repeatedly stated that if he does not agree a new deal by the Summer I would expect the club to listen to offer - regardless of all of the nonsense spouted by Rodgers on the matter. But I would stress that the chances of Sterling taking such action are very slim at best. If his agent has even suggested this as an option, he needs better guidance. Typically clubs don't like this sort of thing happening and they certainly don't like it happening in the public domain - sadly Rodgers is happy to air all of the in house issues with anyone who will listen.}

2.) 19 May 2015
19 May 2015 13:03:39
I know you don't discuss figures ed, but what would it take to buy the year of his contract, a years salary or less or how is it calculated?

{Ed002's Note - His salary.}

3.) 19 May 2015
19 May 2015 13:06:40
But surely this would have a very negative effect on his global market value, is his agent that short sighted that for a few quid now he could cause him long term damage?

{Ed002's Note - He could demand a £10M signing on fee and significant wages - that is what he might be thinking.}

4.) 19 May 2015
19 May 2015 13:44:10
Not to complicate things further, but my understanding is that in other cases based on the Webster ruling, the arbitration authorities have stated that the cost of compensation should be the 'actual harm' done to the club by the buy-out of the contract, and not the player's wages.

Would this not 'actual harm' not be the cost of replacing the player or even the lost transfer fee?

Thanks for the insights Ed

{Ed002's Note - Taking random examples does not add to any argument.}

5.) 19 May 2015
19 May 2015 19:04:56
But he is not doing any of this for money Ed :-)

After all the 20 year old world beater has a divine right to play CL every year and win trophies!

Joking aside, if he was to buy out his contract and thus become a free agent, am I right in saying that LFC would still be due compensation from his next club due to his age?

{Ed002's Note - QPR and Liverpool would be due money.}