Henry Pollock: Eddie Hearn ‘demands’ Northampton Saints make England superstar a ‘seven-figure player’
Henry Pollock: Eddie Hearn 'demands' Northampton Saints make England superstar a 'seven-figure player'
Superstar promoter Eddie Hearn has thrown a grenade into the Northampton Saints’ boardroom this afternoon, sensationally claiming that Henry Pollock is being greatly underpaid by his club.
This shock statement comes via The Telegraph, who have published quotes from Hearn suggesting that the 47-year-old is putting pressure on the club to issue the England star a more favourable contract.
Pollock currently earns £150,000 a year from the Rugby Football Union [RFU] as an enhanced elite player squad member, but according to Hearn, his value is expected to “skyrocket” over the next couple of years.
“He’s certainly a seven-figure player,” Hearn said. “When I look at other players that are on those kind of numbers, Henry’s commercial value is on another stratosphere to them.”
Pollock joined Hearn’s Matchroom Talent Agency in March of this year, but, with less than a year remaining on his current deal, he has so far failed to sign a new contract with Saints.
“The last thing we want to do is come into the game and start making all these demands,” Hearn explained. “I understand the business – I’ve owned football clubs, right? I know these clubs are not making fortunes; it is not like we’re leaving millions of pounds on the table.
“But I just think that the way rugby’s going and what Pollock is doing, his value over the next couple of years will skyrocket, and I think the value of rugby will. I think the revenue coming into the game will as well.
“Within two or three years, the game could look completely different, and we’re in a contract where Pollock should be getting three, four times what he’s on now.”
Henry Pollock – One of the rugby world’s biggest names
As his Saints contract has yet to be renewed, rival clubs from around England and France have reportedly expressed interest in the 21-year-old. There’s not likely to be a huge move in the pipeline as Pollock does wish to stay, but Hearn insists that the club needs to make it worth his while.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily going to be a long-term deal,” Hearn continued. “But it needs to be enough of a deal where Northampton can commercially hang a hat on and say ‘Pollock’s our guy’.
“We just want to have sensible conversations with those people. Laying our cards on the table, Henry wants to stay at Northampton, and we have had offers from other clubs.
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“What he is making in his annual deal I would pay a prospect [boxer] that you have never heard of the same money to fight in a 10-round fight that he can’t lose for one night.
“A fighter can earn a million quid in one night and you have never heard of him. I said to Henry: ‘You are the biggest star in the game, and I can’t believe how little money you are earning.’
“But at the same time, boxing is a world where 99 per cent of them just want to know how much money they are making. Whereas Henry is saying that he loves Northampton and wants to win championships.”
