TUKWILA, Wash. – Recent comments from Obafemi Martinsmake it pretty clear he is interested in a contract extension, but the Seattle Sounders may not be in quite as much of a rush to rip up the forward’s current deal.
Sounders GM and part owner Adrian Hanauer confirmed to reporters on Wednesday that Martins (above, left) is under contract through the 2015 season and that the team has an option for 2016 as well.
“We love Oba, we hope that he wants to be here and that we can have him be here for a lot of years,” Hanauer said. “But in the world of football, anything is possible. Money talks and players have limited careers. If there’s an opportunity for a player and they feel they can be compensated at a higher rate and if the team that has the contract can be compensated in a way that they feel is appropriate, sometimes players are transacted.
“We are talking with Oba and his represenation, we want him to be here, but you never know in soccer.”
It would make sense why Martins might be interested in a new deal now, though.
The 29-year-old is enjoying a MVP-caliber season with eight goals and six assists through the Sounders’ first 15 matches. He’s the only MLS player ranked in the Top 5 in both goals and assists and he’s managed to keep up his productivity even after Clint Dempsey departed for the World Cup.
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This could be one of the last chances Martins has to sign a lucrative deal and he has said there’s interest overseas.
“There are some teams, they’ve been calling me and all that,” Martins told reporters last week. “And I’ve been waiting for them to know what it’s going to be like, if I’m going to renew my contract or to move on to go somewhere else. I’m still waiting.”
