Eckersley tribunal next week

Last updated : 18 February 2010 By Tony Scholes
Richard Eckersley
Eckersley signed a four year deal with the Clarets last summer after allowing his contract at Manchester United to expire and because of his age the Clarets had a fee to pay for him.

The two clubs have not been able to agree that fee ,with Manchester United supposedly wanting a million and Burnley offering £200,000. Now the fee will be set by a tribunal that sits at 2:00 p.m. next Monday, 22nd February. It will be somewhere between the two figures and is binding.

Eckersley hasn't featured at all in the Premier League for Burnley but has started three cup ties. He was sent off in the Carling Cup win at Hartlepool and was then substituted in the next round at Barnsley.

In the FA Cup, he stood in for the suspended Tyrone Mears at Milton Keynes Franchise in what was the last game we played before Owen Coyle moved to Bolton.

Burnley have set aside money for the fee but should it be higher than we had anticipated then it could come out of Brian Laws' summer budget. The manage said he hoped common sense would prevail for a player who has very limited first team experience.