Once the player has declined the offer and his contract has expired, the club can agree a conditional contract, agree a week by week contract, or keep paying the basic wage from the expired deal. If it only keeps paying that basic wage, the player is not entitled to play for that club.
When these options apply
These options do not apply after every expiring deal. They arise only when the club made the player an offer on Form 14, the player declined it, and the contract then expired.
From that point, the issue is the club's post-expiry route. The choice affects what the player receives, whether he may play, and whether a compensation fee can still arise if another club registers him.
Each route and what it means
Here are the available routes and their immediate effects.
| Situation | What the player gets | Compensation fee |
|---|---|---|
| A conditional contract is agreed | the financial terms the club and the player agree on | can still arise when another club registers him |
| A week by week contract is agreed | his expired contract's terms without any signing-on fee, plus the incentives the club pays its contract players | can still arise when another club registers him |
| Neither contract is in place, or the club has ended the week by week one | the basic wage under his expired contract, but no right to play for the club | can still arise when another club registers him |
| The club decides to stop paying that basic wage | payments end after two weeks' notice to him | not payable when another club registers him |
| The player will not take employment with another club | the Premier League Appeals Committee can order the payments to stop | unaffected by that order |
What the three main routes actually do
Conditional contract
This is the most flexible route. The financial terms are whatever the club and the player agree between themselves.
If another club later registers the player, a compensation fee can still arise. Nothing about this route removes that possibility.
Week by week contract
This route carries over the financial terms of the expired contract, but leaves out any signing-on fee. From the date of the new contract onwards, the player also gets whatever incentives the club pays its contract players.
That makes it different from simply continuing to pay him after expiry. It is a new contract, and the club can later bring it to an end and move instead to basic wage payments only.
Basic wage only after expiry
If neither of the two contracts is in place, or if the club has ended the week by week contract, the club can keep paying the basic wage from the expired contract. That payment is narrower than keeping the player on full playing terms.
While he is only being paid that basic wage, he is not entitled to play for the club paying it. The club is continuing payment without giving him match eligibility for that club.
What happens if the club stops paying
If the club wants to stop paying that basic wage, it must first give the player two weeks' notice. The payments then end after that notice period.
Once the club stops those payments on that route, it is not entitled to a compensation fee when another club registers the player. So ending payment has a direct effect on whether that fee remains payable.
There is also a separate route where the player will not take work with another club. If he unreasonably refuses employment with another club, or other relevant circumstances mean he will not accept such an offer, his club can apply to the Premier League Appeals Committee for an order allowing the payments to stop without affecting its entitlement to a compensation fee.
If that order is made, the payments can stop and the club's compensation fee position stays intact. That is different from the ordinary two-week notice route.
FAQ
What happens after a player refuses the new deal?
The refusal does not by itself settle everything. Once the offer has been declined and the contract has expired, the club still has post-expiry options to choose from.
Those options shape the next step in practical terms: a new contract on agreed terms, a week by week arrangement, or basic wage payments only.
How does a week by week contract differ from paying the basic wage alone?
The first is a contract, entered into with the player once his old deal has expired. The second is not a contract at all: the club simply continues paying him the amount of the basic wage under that expired deal.
The consequence differs as well. A player who is only receiving that basic wage is not entitled to play for the club paying it. A club that has entered into a week by week contract can also bring it to an end and move to paying the basic wage alone.
Can a club keep paying a player after his contract has ended?
Yes. If neither new contract is in place, or if the club has ended the week by week contract, it can keep paying the basic wage from the expired contract.
That does not let the player appear for the club while he is only on that basic wage payment. If the club wants to stop paying, it must give two weeks' notice first.
Can a compensation fee still arise after he turns down the offer?
Yes. It can still arise if a conditional contract is agreed, if a week by week contract is agreed, or if the club is still paying the basic wage under the expired contract.
The fee is lost if the club stops that basic wage payment on the ordinary notice route. If payments stop under an order from the Premier League Appeals Committee, the club's entitlement is unaffected.