Cherries: Mitchell says club cannot lose in Pugh contract delay (From Bournemouth Echo)

Cherries: Mitchell says club cannot lose in Pugh contract delay

7:00am Monday 21st May 2012 in Sport

CHAIRMAN Eddie Mitchell believes Cherries are in a win-win situation regarding the future of newly-crowned fans’ favourite Marc Pugh.

Pugh, who lifted the prestigious Micky Cave-Daily Echo supporters’ player-of-the-year award, is currently pondering the club’s offer of a new contract.

The 24-year-old winger has had a lucrative three-and-a-half year deal on the table since January and is expected to make a decision over the summer.

Pugh, who joined Cherries in a £100,000 move from Hereford in 2010, has 12 months to run on his existing contract and has already been linked with several Championship clubs.

Should he decide against penning a new deal at Seward Stadium, the Lancastrian would be entitled to a free transfer at the end of next season.

And while Mitchell sees Pugh as an integral part of new boss Paul Groves’s squad, he is also taking a pragmatic view regarding the player’s future.

Mitchell told the Daily Echo: “We would like to keep him and have got to be realistic regarding the time remaining on his contract. If nobody comes in for him, maybe he will sign a longer contract with us.

“If he doesn’t sign, he doesn’t sign. He is contracted to us and, like any other player, has to go out and earn his money.

“If he wants to get to a better standard, he has got to put himself in the shop window and keep playing like he did this season, which I am sure he will.

“He is a good character and, maybe by Christmas, he will see it is realistic for us to get into the Championship and will decide to sign then. There are various permutations.

“He is a good player and someone we would desperately like to keep. He has got goals in him, which is something we need to improve on next season because we won’t be going into the Championship with the amount of goals we scored this season.”