The Parramatta-Clint Gutherson contract saga apears to be over with reports saying the Eels skipper will remain with the club.
Parramatta captain Clint Gutherson has reportedly re-signed with the club on a three-year deal, keeping him at the Eels until the end of the 2022 season.
The decision finally ends weeks of consternation over his future at the club, which reached fever pitch when the Eels supposedly set a deadline of Friday.
The Eels, who are expected to announce the deal on Thursday, have yet to confirm the agreement or the NewsCorp report.
It comes a day after Gutherson rubbished talk he was holding out for a four-year deal for fear of his body breaking down again.
He also dismissed reports the Eels placed a Friday deadline on him to commit to a three-year deal worth $650,000 a season.
But he admitted being desperate to finally make a call.
“I want to get it done. I’m sick of hearing about it,” Gutherson said on Wednesday.
“I want to get it done sooner rather than later, so I’ll put my own deadline on it – end of this week or early next week.”
While the Eels have only tabled a three-year offer, Gutherson wants four years at $700,000 a season.
But in an indication the 24-year-old is prepared to meet the club halfway, he said securing a longer contract was more important than getting what he believes he’s worth as one of the game’s premier fullbacks.
“It was never about the money. There’s been a lot of figures out there that aren’t true,” he said.
“I’m at that age; I want a bit of security. I want to settle down and try and set my life up and play some good footy and know where I’m going to be playing footy.
“That’s what it comes down to and now. There’s a lot more people out there worse off than me.
“I just want to make a decision and move on.”
Linked to a return to Manly, where he began his NRL career before moving to Parramatta in 2016, Gutherson conceded the Eels’ two-year contract extension for coach Brad Arthur on Tuesday would have a major bearing on his decision to stay or go.
“It’s a good time for the club,” Gutherson said.
“I’ve said from the start, he’s (Arthur) been a massive influence on my career and it’s good to see him get two more years and it will be (a factor).”
But Gutherson, who required a knee reconstruction in 2017, denied he was chasing a long-term deal because it may be his last.
“I put a lot of hard work into my body every day and I think where I am at the moment, it’s the best I’ve been. It’s the best I feel,” he said.
“Everyone has their own opinion and that comes with it. It doesn’t really have any effect on me.”
© AAP
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