Dylan Kerr’s contract talks with Marumo Gallants have taken another nasty twist with the initial offer to the coach deemed below par.
The Siya crew reported last month that discussions over a new deal for the Englishman had stalled, and that he was likely to quit despite guiding the club to a Nedbank Cup title and helping them avoid relegation.
Kerr, sources had said, would only stay at the Limpopo-outfit if management improved the original offer tabled.
But at the weekend, chairman Abram Sello accused the coach’s agent of influencing Kerr on his decision to not sign the contract terms that have been proposed.
The comments come as a surprise given that two names – Spanish Pablo Franco Martin and Belgian Patrick de Wilde – have both been approached by Gallants because of their Uefa Pro License credentials, which the club sees as a requirement for their coach to be on the bench during their CAF Confederation Cup campaign.
“Unfortunately we don’t understand comments made via other publications recently. Dylan received an initial offer that was less than what he was on for the previous season,” Paul Mitchell, who is Kerr’s agent, told the Siya crew.
“And in light of that, as his representative for more than 11 years, we gave a very reasonable counter offer, one that was well within current PSL levels for a qualified head coach. We have not had any response since June 21 from the chairman of the club and on learning that they have been talking to other coaches, naturally we presumed they had moved on, which they are entitled to do”.
Kerr, his representative insisted, is prepared to start a fresh chapter if Gallants are indeed moving on and looking for his successor.
“It’s not a problem for Dylan, he did a sterling job for TTM (now Gallants) last season, coming in when they were rock bottom, turning it around, keeping the club in the PSL top-flight and delivering the Nedbank Cup in the process,” explained Mitchell.
Story by @superjourno
These players are still looking for clubs for next season...
