SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY: Owls boss Laws' double fury
BRIAN Laws has blasted Burnley for taking a "cheap shot" at Marcus Tudgay - and accused the player's agent of holding up his new Hillsborough deal with a personal cash demand.
Sheffield Wednesday's angry boss roundly blames Burnley for "unsettling" his star striker and disrupting what had been a smooth build-up to the new season.
Laws - who reveals today that he is close to signing Wolves midfielder Darren Potter in a fee-paying transfer - launched a double-barrelled broadside which included a volley at Darryl Powell, the one-time Wednesday player who represents Tudgay.
With an agreed three-year contract still unsigned, Laws told the Telegraph: "It should have been signed a few weeks ago. The only thing slowing it down is his agent.
"He's delayed it by asking for certain things for the agent. We satisfied the player - but he (Powell) was asking for something on top."
Wednesday are unlikely to play ball, especially after making the issue public, and Laws is adamant that Tudgay will stay at Hillsborough regardless after dismissing Burnley's interest as mischief-making.
It has evaporated now that the Clarets, newcomers to the Premiership, have paid 3m for Hibernian's Steven Fletcher - but Laws is livid with the behaviour of the club he once served as a player.
"This was a cheap shot at trying to unsettle a player," he said. "They are throwing offers around without being serious. It's a case of hoping one will drop.
"Players hear about it and it then it gets in their heads and unsettles them. It's unsettled Marcus Tudgay, for sure. I'm hoping the irritation will go away now."
Laws insisted Burnley's approach was way short of his valuation for Wednesday's top scorer of the past two seasons, though he sympathised with the player's dilemma.
He added: "You can understand it with them being in the Premiership and we would never deny a player an opportunity. But we are a business and we won't just give players away.
"We want to keep our best ones but there is a price for every player. Even the world's greatest player had a price - in Ronaldo's case it was 80m.
This is no different in that Burnley were a million miles away - and they knew that.
"I'm still expecting Marcus to sign, having verbally agreed the contract, and to be here at the start of the season.
"He's an invaluable player and an integral part of things here. It would take an extortionate amount to get him away. I've told Burnley that and I don't expect them to come back."
The alarm was raised when, fast upon news of Burnley's interest, it emerged that Tudgay had yet to sign his new deal. There were nudges and winks because we have all read this sort of script many times before.
However, the assumption had been that the striker had completed the formalities; hence surprise over this out-of-the-blue development.
No suprise, though, that Tudgay is coveted elsewhere, even if he had seemed likelier to provoke a bid from a rival Championship club. The player had clearly ruled out that possibility in appearing to commit himself - but Premiership interest is always very different.
In fairness, Tudgay has proved himself a thorough professional and shown a committed attitude on and off the field. In conversation, he comes across as a sensible, down-to-earth character who would not necessarily put money before job satisfaction - barring another chance in the Premier League where he once appeared fleetingly with Derby.
Meanwhile, Laws is on the verge of a deal to sign Potter who was on loan with the Owls last season. He revealed: "There has been a bit more progress with Wolves and I'm hoping to conclude something with Darren.
There will be a fee involved which would come out of my budget and still be within it. Negotiations are fairly advanced and Darren can't wait. He really enjoyed his time here and wants to come back."
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