Bartosz Bialkowski’s new Blues contract is reportedly will reportedly make him the highest-paid player at the club.

As reported yesterday following the 2-0 friendly defeat at Braintree, manager Paul Hurst said the club were getting closer to persuading the 31-year-old Polish international to stay at Portman Road.

We understand the three-year deal with the usual option for a further season is very near to being finalised and that the new contract could even be signed as soon as tomorrow with Bialkowski due back at Portman Road following his post-World Cup break.

According to The Sun on Sunday, the deal is worth £20,000-a-week, which we understand to be an inflated figure, a wage they claim to be the highest in Town’s history.

Although certainly making Bialkowski the highest-paid member of the current squad - released striker David McGoldrick was previously the top earner with his deal understood to be worth a figure not too far off Bialkowski’s new terms - the likes of Matteo Sereni and Finidi George were paid more than £20,000-a-week back in the Blues’ Premier League days.

Town owner Marcus Evans has been forced to push the boat out to keep Bialkowski, who otherwise would have been out of contract next summer, in the wake of interest from Birmingham City, the Blues having rebuffed offers of £2.75 million and £3 million over the last fortnight.

Wages at the level of Bialkowski’s new Town deal will have been on offer at St Andrew’s, while the Blues have been anticipating further interest in the former Notts County and Southampton man from elsewhere.

The new deal is almost certainly a big leap on the contract which former manager Mick McCarthy prematurely announced had been agreed in January.

Photo: TWTD

PortmanTerrorist added 11:13 - Jul 15 Whatever we paying we will certainly get back from either helping us getting promoted or if that doesn't happen a decent transfer fee.... not the derisory £3m suggested
1

ChrisR added 11:15 - Jul 15 That is good news , we must keep him and DW to give us any chance of competing . Also a reminder of what disastrous deals Finidi and Sereni were , at least with Bart we know what we are paying for. Finidi earned more in his miserable year at PR than John Wark did in his near 20 year career at Town !!!
3

BlueandTruesince82 added 11:53 - Jul 15 Club pushing the boat out, lots of criticism on here RE Bart situation recently but now hopefully we can all see the club is trying. Takes 2 to Tango
1

peteswindon added 12:07 - Jul 15 If true get the deal done, he is worth every penny.
0

Swn98 added 12:52 - Jul 15 Seems to me that reading Hurst comments after the Braintree game and busting the club's pay structure he could soon havery a very fractured dressing room in a short space of time. As an aside should players wages be in the public domain.
2

casanovacrow added 12:59 - Jul 15 I imagine keeping hold of such a keeper could save our bacon whilst the rest of the team get used to the new style. Not going to be the smoothest of transitions from years of Mick's ultra defensive style to an attacking one. Old habits die hard. For me this is the most important news of this summer. Big money but he's earnt it.
1

RIPbobby added 13:01 - Jul 15 Bart is a very talented player and has rightly so been player of the year 3 times. But for me to have your highest paid player being a keeper doesn't seem right. As a club we tend to splash the cash on keepers as I believe our biggest fee paid is still for Sereni. As much as I wouldn't like to see him leave I don't think that kind of figure is justified. Keepers can't win you matches, they can stop you losing them, but cannot win you matches. In my eyes your highest paid player should be a 25+ goals a season forward. Well that's what I think anyway.

0

Charlie_pl_baxter added 13:55 - Jul 15 Karlos how is this going to cost £5m? £20k per week is about £1m per year. Also we don't know what he was on before but if we assume even half as much it will cost the club an extra £1.5m or so over the three years (or £2m if we take the option). Still a sizable investment but there should plenty left from Knight and Webster fees.
2

jas0999 added 13:57 - Jul 15 That's the market value I'm afraid. If we don't offer it, then a considerable number of Championship clubs will. Bart is the best keeper in the championship and therefore deservedly commands such wage demands. If you want the best, you pay for it. Something Evans has been lacking in previous seasons.
5

midastouch added 14:25 - Jul 15 Wasn't Finidi George earning in that sort of region during his spell at Ipswich? The key difference here being Bart is actually worth it! Also highlights the huge gulf in wages between the Premier League and Championship when you consider how long ago it was that Finidi was at Ipswich.
0

bluearmy78 added 15:01 - Jul 15 He's Mr Ipswich for me & quite deservedly earns the right to be the highest paid player at the club. He's proven by playing for us that he can get into the Poland International squad, hope to see this deal finalised very soon, COYB!
2

chrismadrid added 15:08 - Jul 15 Yeah worth the cah for a top class player.Town need Bart and with Chambers,Skuse and Waghorn we akready have the spine of a good squad
0

Karlosfandangal added 16:51 - Jul 15 No other club's fans to such a degree, would excuse or accept an owners terrible penny pinching in the way that some of you do. None... Not sure how an investments of £100 million pounds and still riseing is penny pinching
3

bigolconnor added 19:09 - Jul 15 If there was a list of Goalkeepers wages from the premier league and championship we would probably see that £20,000 is comparatively cheap. He is a great keeper, his family loves Ipswich and if he signs with us until he hangs up his gloves I would be very happy.
1

gosblue added 20:17 - Jul 15 What price the 20 or more points a season Bart saves us? Having him in goal is like having a head start on other teams. Priceless. If we can get him to stay for £20k a week it will be the best piece of business this club will do this season.
1

armchaircritic59 added 21:22 - Jul 15 I don't have a problem with the better performers in any business ( including football), being payed more than others. (It's a fact of life, if you want the best, you have to be prepared to pay for it). Would be no incentive to get on otherwise. Whether it's wise to put that sort of information in the public domain, is another question. Though i suspect most players at most clubs have at least some idea of their colleagues earnings.

1

Monkey_Blue added 21:32 - Jul 15 I'm Shocked what we offered him didn't get close to £20k and as POTY 3 years running why wasn't he already going to be our best paid player? 🤔
0

JohnyJohnson added 22:09 - Jul 15 Still only 3m in wages over 3 years, 100% worth it for such an influential player saves so many points each season. Could easily waste 3m on a Lee Martin. We already know what Bart brings, no risk, no brainier.
1

MickMillsTash added 23:00 - Jul 15 Surprised there are not more on £20K /week Our wage bill is £14 Mill - Have not done it for a while but when I tried to share out that amount across 25 players Berra, Mcgoldrick, Murphy, would have been on 20K - Freddie Sears on a lot less.
0

Bert added 23:13 - Jul 15 If Bart is offered much improved terms to keep him then that is good but if a player wants to move on then little point in throwing money at him. Of course all this is based on what the tabloid media have said and lightly contradicted by our own TWTD. This sort of stuff should be private between player and club not a subject of debate.
1

Essexipswichboy added 07:15 - Jul 16 I agree with loads of comments on here But do wish they would play it down a little You don't want to disrupt the camp Like good old Jimmy Bullard did if you remember
0

JewellintheTown added 08:53 - Jul 16 Ronaldo = Reportedly £73k a DAY!!!! (73x7=£511k/ pre tax per week!!!!) , Messi = £550k AFTER TAX a week. David de Gea = £200k a week. Bart = £20k a week. Bart is a pure and simple bargain.
0

Razor added 10:05 - Jul 16 Worth every penny and the other players should just be grateful they have the best goalkeeper in the league to keep them in the style to which they are accustomed. I bet his daughter will be happy!!
0

jimmyjames added 11:05 - Jul 16 Great news! I have my fingers crossed he signs. It's all about building. Losing Bart at this stage would have set us back... He is a rock.
0

jimmyjames added 11:09 - Jul 16 ps Pablo was on circa 20k per week too at one stage I seem to remember.
0

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls