Cast minds back to the summer a few years ago when we had about 13 out of contract at the same time. From memory, that may have included the likes of Townsend and Cahill etc, good lads who had done a good job. A lot of people, including on here, were going through the list and contending that most or all of them should go, as they were average.
My point at that time is that you should only let a player go for free if you know you can get a better replacement. Factor in that you need to pay a transfer fee quite often, and it's hard to come out of that situation on top, and it often makes sense to retain the average journeyman player at the end of his contract, so long as he can do a job. On the same basis, it's not like there isn't a good argument for trying to keep Kamada.
Even so, there are some strong arguments to let him go, even if he wants to stay.
Firstly, he has benefited from the high wages associated with a free transfer two or three times now, and may well have his heart set on doing it again. Unless we can match what he might make somewhere else, he probably won't stay. Even though keeping him saves paying a transfer fee for a replacement (probably), his salary is part of us being dangerously close to the turnover/wages limit. Keeping him would restrict us doing more important deals for other key players.
Second, he has very little resale value given his age, ability, and wages. Who would give us decent money for him? We have only now begun having a couple of quid to spend on transfers, and that's because we sold well. The key to that is saleable assets, and Kamada isn't one.
Third, ideally there should be some sort of hierarchy of merit in the wage structure. Of course, it doesn't always happen that way and often wages come from the circumstances when a player joins us, but once you start giving out second or third contracts on the same wages, you've chosen to double down on it. Kamada is on three times what Wharton is, twice Hughes. That must threaten to undermine harmony at times.
Finally, he just isn't that good. Not s***, but not great, and certainly not irreplaceable. Even before scouting for a particular replacement, the club has a fair idea of how hard the task will be. Replacing Olise and Eze is impossible. Replacing Kamada should realistically be achievable. The risks in letting him go are lower. Perhaps they won't be able to replace him, but there is little reason to presume that.
England
