Besiktas unveil Ailton – tug of war over Larsen
22.07.2005
It may well have been Kevin Kuranyi's first day at work, but Schalke's striker situation is providing plenty to talk about. Besiktas unveiled new signing Ailton on Thursday afternoon, but the Royal Blues still haven't been able to secure the services of Sören Larsen.
At a press conference held in the Turkish capital Ailton put pen to paper on a two-year deal with an option to extend for a further year. At Besiktas the Brazilian striker is set to wear the number 20 shirt. But as far as Schalke are concerned it is still not a done deal. "The two clubs have signed the transfer agreement but we still don't have his signature on the contract severing his ties with Schalke 04", explained team manager Andreas Müller. "But he wants to drop by in the next few days. He will doubtless do it then and clear his locker at the same time."
Müller views this development with a certain regret. "When he's got nothing on his mind he can be a valuable player who'll get 15 or 20 goals a season. He was an invigorating personality", he said, leaving no one in any doubt. In his view the experiment with Ailton had worked "exceptionally well". The Brazilian scored 14 Bundesliga goals last season, including a number of "important strikes", Müller added. "We were very satisfied with him."
Yet Ailton had a difficult year ahead of him at Schalke and so the transfer made sense. And the move only came about because the player wanted a change of scenery. "If Toni had indicated that he wanted to stay, there's no way we would have sold him."
Elsewhere another transfer is proving a little more difficult than first thought. Stockholm club Djurgardens IF are unwilling to release striker Sören Larsen. "They're top of the league and need the player, which I can understand", Müller admitted. "But the contract is clear-cut." And Larsen is desperate to join Schalke 04.
The aforementioned contract between the Swedish outfit and the Danish international was signed in 2004, runs until 2007 and contains a get-out clause allowing him to leave the club for a certain transfer fee. "And that is precisely what they're denying him now", Müller complained. "Even though it's in line with both the letter and the spirit of the contract."
FIFA, the world governing body, continued Müller, was maintaining a low profile in the matter. "Naturally they tend to protect the selling club", he said. But as Schalke's deputy chairman Jupp Schnusenberg explained, "employment law is decisive here, not association law."
It was now down to the player to make the next move, Müller said. "He's the only one who can do something now. He has to take his contract to an industrial tribunal." The only problem: "If they get involved, there'll obviously be a case. And that can take a long time." An awkward situation for the 23-year-old, who has asked his Swedish club to come up with a solution. Müller has ruled out the possibility of Schalke paying more than the agreed transfer sum. "I see no reason to deviate from the terms of the contract. If need be, we'll go into the season with three strikers."
