Town boss Paul Jewell has confirmed that skipper Carlos Edwards’s new contract will see the 33-year-old take a big drop in wages. The Trinidadian has agreed new terms — understood to be worth around half of his current deal - keeping him at Portman Road for another year with the option of a further season triggered after he makes a set number of league starts in 2012/13.
Jewell says football’s new economic reality with the Championship introducing Financial Fair Play rules next season means Edwards won’t be the only player having to take a pay cut when they sign a new contract: "I don’t know the details of Carlos’s contract but certainly he’s taken a big drop in wages and I think that’s the way we’ll have to run our team.
"We’ve got to cut our cloth accordingly and the guaranteed big wages are available less and less because people are looking at Portsmouth and Rangers and what can happen if clubs aren’t run properly.
"And don’t forget we’ve got Financial Fair Play to adhere to next year, so we’ve got to make sure we’re not paying money we haven’t got.”
The Blues boss is delighted to see the £1.35 million summer of 2009 signing from Sunderland confirmed for the season ahead: "I don’t think it really took too long. I know there are a lot of players out of contract this year and we’re pleased to have Carlos for at least another year.
"Carlos can play in a number of positions, he’s played at right-back since I’ve been here 99% of the time. But he can play wing-back, he can play wide and we’re pleased to have him. I think he’s been a consistent performer this year.”
Jewell admits that having plenty of players out of contract - Tommy Smith, Grant Leadbitter, Jason Scotland, Lee Bowyer, Richard Wright, Mark Kennedy, Ibrahima Sonko and Cody Cropper are all still on terms which are up at the end of June — hasn’t been easy: "It is a difficult situation to manage, I’ve got to be honest.
"I said this time last year that I didn’t really want to be in this situation but it’s transpired that it’s been the type of season where things haven’t been as we would have expected or wanted.
"I think the players are all good people and they understand that football’s economic climate is changing and that maybe the money that was around not so long ago isn’t around now.
"We’ll have to sit down and talk to their agents in due course and if they want to stay, we’d like to keep them, if they’ve got better offers elsewhere, then that’s life.”
He says talks with those he wants to keep will begin in due course once the Blues are absolutely certain of being in the Championship next season: "There certainly will be [talks], but again it’s been such a topsy-turvy season that we’ve got to try and be sure that we’re OK first as a team.”
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