No Contract Talks Yet

Braveheart boss Malky Mackay has confirmed that talks between the club and out-of-contract first-teamers Jon Harley, John Eustace, Will Hoskins and Richard Lee are yet to begin.

Earlier in the season it was confirmed Captain America, Jay DeMerit would wait until after the World Cup in South Africa before sorting out his Hornet’s future.

However, the futures of Hoskins and Lee in particular look a let less clear-cut. In recent months the likes of Marvin Sordell and Liam Henderson have been preferred on the bench ahead of former Rotherham misfit Hoskins who only scored his first ‘Orns goal last term, three seasons after arriving in a £1m+ swoop!

Richard Lee has only managed two League Cup starts this campaign, but was prevented from joining Bucks outfit Wycombe on-loan before they swooped for Manchester United stopper Tom Heaton on-loan. Lee only penned a one year contract last Summer in spite of wanting a two-year deal.

Harley and Eustace appear to have the best chance of extending their stays in WD18. Despite being stripped of his #8 jersey over the Summer, Eustace has been a key figure in the Hornet’s midfield and has struck up a fruitful partnership in the middle with Arsenal young gun, Henri Lansbury. And, with a side seriously lacking in the experience stakes, keeping heads such as Eustace aboard will be crucial in the development of the Hornet’s hottest prospects.

For Jon Harley, the season has been a frustrating one with only eleven league starts, but a further 16 league appearances coming from the subs bench. However Harley is one of the few left-footed players in the squad and has more experience than much of the first team put together. Throw into the equation his versatility and it would make sense to retain his services come the Summer.

The key factor in all of these deals is of course, wages, and how affordable the players are versus their effectiveness and whether someone more useful will become available on lesser wages.

Youngsters Dale Bennet, Jordan Parkes, Jonathan North, Lewis Young, Billy Gibson and Liam Henderson are all also out of contract come July.