Gilks Plays Hardball Over Contract

Earlier in the week I published an editorial looking at Matt Gilks' rise and rise since last summer.

This afternoon however, there was a twist in the tale as Blackpool manager Ian Holloway revealed that Gilks is refusing to speak to the club about extending his contract which expires in the summer.

Despite promotion to the Premier League, Gilks is known to be on a very low salary comparatively, and whilst there is certainly scope for the Seasiders to offer him a large wage increase, his refusal to speak to the club about a new deal coupled with his current form presents the very real fear that he could leave for nothing in the summer to a team prepared to pay him much more.

The one trump card that the Seasiders do hold however is that Gilks is guarenteed first team football at Bloomfield Road and might not be elsewhere, and given that he nearly quit the game last summer because of a lack of first team opportunities you would imagine that that would be a large factor in any future contract he signs.

Revealing the situation in his pre-match interview ahead of Sunday's game with Manchester City, Ian Holloway said:

'Matt is out of contract next summer and at the moment that is something he wants to be.

'If I can't nail him down I'll have to find someone else and I've got till January to try and convince him to stay, because he can sign a pre-contract somewhere else in January.

'At the end of the day he is also running the risk that he could break a leg or an arm and he might not have a job, so that is the gamble you take.

'Matt probably feels a bit aggrieved with how much he is on.

'I've asked him to leave me a message giving me a figure on how much he wants. At the moment he won't, so we will suck it and see.

Whether Gilks is simply playing hardball or genuinally wants to cash in on his rise by leaving Bloomfield Road we will simply have to wait and see.

One thing's for sure though; if we continue to play in the manner that we have been, then we better all be prepared for the risk of losing our better players.

Hopefully in this instance though, Ollie can convince the ever improving Gilks that his futures lies with the Seasiders.

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