The striker made a glaring statement to the club’s hierarchy after scoring on Saturday.
Seattle Sounders are unconcerned over Eddie Johnson’s “pay me” celebration that caused widespread controversy over the weekend.
Johnson notched the winning goal in Saturday’s 1-0 victory against Columbus Crew and proceeded to deliver a glaring statement to the Sounders hierarchy in his bid to earn an improved contract.
The 29-year-old’s current $150,000-a-year salary pales in comparison to that of Clint Dempsey’s deal, which is closer to $5m, and Obafemi Martins ($1.7m), with the clubs top brass surprisingly agreeing he is underpaid and are willing to cater to his whims.
“I’ve said it before, Eddie is underpaid at this point and we’ll address that behind closed doors,” GM and part owner Adrian Hanauer told MLS Soccer on Monday.
“For me, as long as those sorts of things aren’t getting in the way of us winning a championship, I couldn’t really care less. When it becomes a distraction to the team, then it’s an issue with me.
“For now, we picked up a great win, Eddie was a huge part of it, he was great with his teammates, so for me it’s not an issue.
“A little controversy, a little interesting flavor to some of our games isn’t always a bad thing.”
Johnson scored a club record 14 goals and initially agreed to the lower deal when he signed for the Sounders in 2012 after failing to successfully navigate European football.
COMMENTS