West Ham chairman David Sullivan thinks the transfer market has gone barmy, and has used Christian Benteke as an example of this, the Mirror reports.
The Irons were one of the clubs credited with an interest in our Belgian forward, who according to his agent Kismet Eris – is actually considering staying at Liverpool because he’s only one year into a five year deal (Sky Sports).
Sullivan though says the striker is to blame because of his absurd wage demands, demanding £130k – astonished by the fact a small club like Crystal Palace is actually prepared to pay it as well.
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“Every year we say the transfer window has gone crazy but it really has gone barmy this year – particularly if you are looking for strikers,” he began.
“There are 20 or 30 clubs in Europe, all with money, looking for a striker. And when you have a club like Crystal Palace will to pay £125-130k a week to a guy at Liverpool [Christian Benteke], you do think it has gone barmy.
“Add in the demands of agents and players, this year has just gone crazy.”
We’re not sure if Palace would stump up those wages, which would make him their highest paid player in history by a very, very long way – but reports in the Guardian did indicate that they were willing to pay up to £30m in terms of a transfer fee.
If they’re willing to pay this kind of money, we really hope Benteke takes the bait and leave. He’s a good player, but simply hasn’t adapted to Jurgen Klopp’s style and would be better off in a side that sent crosses into the box.