Peterborough United's Barry Fry on on the multi-club battle going on for Kwame Poku and the prospect of waiting until 2026 for a transfer fee!
Peterborough United director of football Barry Fry believes there is a mass multi-club battle going on for the services of winger Kwame Poku.
And Fry is concerned Posh will have to wait until early next year before they can receive a compensation fee for the 23 year-old.
Poku will leave London Road as his contract expires in June. Runaway League One champions Birmingham City’s interest is well known and Fry, a former Blues boss, believes that would be Poku’s best move. Reports have suggested Birmingham have offered Poku wages of £30k a week.
But the player’s agent apparently has other ideas and they won’t necessarily suit Posh. If Poku moves out of England the compensation fee Posh will receive will be considerably lower.
Fry told the PT on Friday: “Birmingham wanted Kwame last summer. Eight clubs wanted Kwame in January. They all wanted him instantly to help promotion pushes, but he was injured so that was a non-starter. I know of 12 clubs who now want him, but according to his agent there are 26 clubs at home and abroad after Kwame. Obviously if he moves abroad that’s not good news for us.
"In my opinion Birmingham will make him an offer others won’t be able to match, but his agent seems to think Birmingham won’t be challenging for promotion next season whereas I do. I’ve met the owner and he’s incredibly ambitious.
“Kwame is entitled to sign a contract with a new club, but that club would than have to come to us to agree a fee. If we can’t agree then it would go to a tribunal, but I’ve heard there is an eight-to-nine month backlog which is bad news for us. Kwame would be entitled to play for his new club before the compensation fee is set.
"We believe it doesn’t matter who signs him it would be in that club’s interest to agree a fee without the need for a tribunal. I have written offers in the millions for Kwame which all counts towards a judgement, but if we go to a tribunal the other club would offer tuppence and we’d ask for £10 million and we’d then see what happens.”
Top Scottish clubs Rangers and Celtic have also been linked with moves for Poku. They would benefit from FIFA’s cross-border rules on compensation fees and could in theory offer Poku bigger wages because of a potentially much lower initial fee.