Town boss Mick McCarthy expects the first-team regulars whose contracts are up at the end of the season but include options for further seasons to have them taken up by Blues owner Marcus Evans.

Left-back Jonas Knudsen’s additional year had to be triggered by the end of December but a number of players, including Cole Skuse, Bartosz Bialkowski, Teddy Bishop, Adam McDonnell, Luke Hyam, Kieffer Moore and Kevin Bru, have options which don’t have to be exercised until May.

McCarthy and his assistant Terry Connor are also out of contract at the end of the season with their contracts including an option for two further years.

David McGoldrick’s deal is up at the end of June but with no option for an additional year in the Irish international's contract.

Asked whether there are plans to talk to any of the regular first-teamers regarding extending their time at Town, manager McCarthy said: “There are [a number of them in that position], but the job for them is to keep doing what they do and likewise myself. You keep coming in and working to the best of your ability.

“It can be difficult, we saw that with Chambo [last season]. I’d hate to think there’s any doubt - and there isn’t in my mind - that the players who have got options that we’d be taking those options up.

“But that might not be my job, that might not be my task. But I would think that would be the case because the players are good and they’ve got to keep playing.

“And, do you know what, if the options are not taken up or whatever happens, it’s their job to keep playing and do the best they can for themselves and also in doing so the best for the club and the team they play in.

“And if ever there’s a shining example of that it’s Luke Chambers from last season when even on deadline day at 12 o’clock I’m still talking to people, to Nottingham Forest, to agents purporting to represent him, ‘Can he go? Can we do a deal? Can we give you this player instead of him?’.

“And all throughout it he kept his sanity as much as anything, and his focus, and there was only day, and I think it was that day, when he lost the plot a bit, ‘Come on, what’s happening?’.

“I still didn’t know and I still had to try and encourage him and he was brilliant and we’ve seen the response as well this year. He deserved his contract and he’s a top man, a great captain.”

McCarthy has no concerns about clubs approaching the players who have only six months left on their deals during the January window.

“They can speak to them, but they’re under contract,” he said. “If anyone’s sniffing around or wants to talk to them there’s nothing they can do because they’ve got an option, so they’ve all [with the exception of McGoldrick] got 18 months to run effectively.

“And pretty much that’s a safeguard. At times I know people think that’s a bit unfair. The reason why it’s done is that if there is ever a relegation battle at the end of a season like there was last year, those players who have got an option, that’s exactly what it is. Marcus has got an option on them, probably at 30 per cent or 50 per cent less of their wages.

“And they know if that option is taken up if we get relegated they’ve still got to be here, they can’t just walk out of the club.

“And I think it’s brilliant, I think it’s a good mechanism. How many times do you see it when the team gets relegated and five or six players say, ‘See you, all the best, good luck, I’m off somewhere else’? Can’t happen. It’s a shrewd move by Marcus.

“We’re not in that position, thankfully, and I hope we don’t end up in that position, but the club holds the cards in terms of their contracts. And I guess they’ve got to earn their [new terms].

“I think they have, the ones who have I think they’ve all earned their recognition and getting their contracts but it’s not me that deals with that.”

Photo: TWTD

Len_Brennan added 07:05 - Dec 26 Yes it's a good mechanism & of course it's good for the club to be in a position of strength contractwise; but it doesn't mean we have to behave so disrespectfully to the players just because we can. Whatever you think of Luke Chambers, he did not deserve to be treated like he was last season.
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bigolconnor added 07:55 - Dec 26 I don't understand why the club wouldn't sign Bartos for a further three years. Everyone knows that there isn't a better keeper. Certainly not one that we could afford. I realise that our wage bill is the biggest expense and the club would have to give him more money, but without BB we would lose more games, gates would decrease further and the club would lose more money. Sign him up. Give him the most money. And put a £10,000,000 price tag on him. Everyone else on that list can go, unless Teddy has a brilliant end to the season. Oh and we should also extend Moore's contract so we can sell him for a couple million. Then when the new manager comes him it won't totally be Mick's team any more.

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DiamondGezzer added 08:21 - Dec 26 It doesn't take a lot of working out that it keeps them all on their toes. We've all seen players who've had long contracts handed them [ not nessessarily at our club ], not give one hundred percent in return once they have that safety net. Its purely an incentive to keep working hard, and let's all hope they do.
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Blue041273 added 08:49 - Dec 26 There was I thinking that the contract option extension was to protect the club from losing players they wanted to keep from leaving for nothing. Now it appears that the club's option to retain is to the detriment of the player's best interests because their earnings appear to be dramatically reduced. Fine long term incentive that is. Players must actually fear that the contract might be extended because of the financial penalty involved. And as for Marcus being shrewd, it is just naive. A player held to contract is not an asset; one having to suffer a financial penalty would not be someone you would want around the place. Sure, they might go through the motions but their agents will be looking for other clubs. In one sense I think this might be spin from MM dreaming that we are in the EPL. It would to my mind far more logical for the contract extension terms applicable to Championship clubs to include a pay rise for the player rather than a pay cut. I cannot believe that any agent worth his salt would sanction any contract that would penalise his client.

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bobble added 09:19 - Dec 26 if we were in first place all this would irrelevant...
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Superfrans added 09:40 - Dec 26 The issue is going to be whether the owner believes we could be drawn into a relegation battle, presumably? Could these options include wage increases for the respective players too? We obviously wouldn't want to get saddled with excessive wages which would make it more difficult to offload certain players, in the event of relegation, would we?
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micky_1560 added 10:06 - Dec 26 I don't see how this is detrimental to the player and a pay cut. If you have a 3 year contract plus a 1 year option. It is basically a 4 year contract on those terms. Not 3 years plus 1 at a reduced rate because he could have earned more because his initial contract was up.
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blue75 added 11:48 - Dec 26 All this contract uncertainty isn't going to change until the chairman decides what he's doing with McCarthy. Over to you Evans stick or twist your choice.
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dirtydingusmagee added 13:46 - Dec 26 McCarthy aint going anywhere I doubt blue75, and neither are Town Evans will be content with Championship survival,
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littlestoneblue added 17:11 - Dec 26 I hope to God Mick goes along with Tel, we desperately need a manager who will push Marcus Evans to build a premiership promotion team, and the correct Manager to do it, sure a Fook mick aint got that ability
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