Tunde ? Yes he's a fine player, big strong lad too that can hold the ball up, definitely a good signing for Pats.
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Not true I'm afraid. It could easily be agreed to in the original contract. Man United for example insert one way options into players contracts all the time and just notify them that they've taken up the option. As long as the other party is aware of its existence there's no reason why it couldn't be valid. What may be up for debate is whether and how it was activated and whether that was in line with the original clause.
I've said it before on here that if he wanted to leave, then he & Dundalk should have used proper procedure. If Dundalk used proper channels while it would have been unpleasant to us it would ultimately have been accepted id reckon. We don't want anyone at our club that doesn't want to be here. If he didn't appreciate the backup and respect he received at our club then good luck. I'm not naïve to how cutthroat football can be but there is certain limitations to what is deemed acceptable conduct even among rival clubs.
I will say one thing in partial defence of Stephen O’Donnell. He is a footballer learning to be a manager. He couldn’t have been expected to have been expert in the implications of contracts. If, as Pats claim (and if they’re quoting dates of meetings I presume they have their evidence) he was in negotiations with Dundalk for some time while supposed to be acting in the best interest of his employer, the spotlight needs to fall on the new owners of Dundalk - successful businessmen who understand the law and appear to have wilfully steered him into the mess in which he now finds himself.
Aodh Dervin to Shels….
Unilateral contact extensions are a legal minefield. Check out this blog
https://www.asser.nl/SportsLaw/Blog/...-saverio-spera
I'm sure there are many possible arguments as to why they may be difficult to enforce but they do exist. A high profile case for example would be Pogba who is still at United because they triggered an extension of an extra year, and he was apparently ****ed off that they didn't offer a proper new contract at the time.
I think at this stage Pats & Dundalk fans should agree to a Christmas truce on the issue & leave this thread to LOI fans with their signings. The courts will decide the toss in the new year.
Try telling Dundalk fans that lol. The long and short of it is the none of us know the truth of the specifics so we'll have to see what happens. However I'm glad it's been at least semi-proven to be the case that what certain Pats fans had claimed was the root of the issue is so, and Dundalk fans in the interim can worry about Keith Ward getting his penalty down from space in time for pre-season training, which will probably be taken over a zoom call as his head coach will reside in Mountjoy.
If, as O’Donnell claims, the original contract contained provisions for it to be terminated with a set notice period then does it really matter whether the extension was activated or not?