Henry Pollock: Phil Dowson confident on deal for Saints star

Northampton boss Phil Dowson says he is relaxed about boxing supremo Eddie Hearn’s ambition to secure Saints star Henry Pollock a contract extension worth a million pound a year.

Hearn, who signed a deal to secure commercial deals for Pollock in April, told the Daily Telegraph, external earlier this year that 21-year-old is “a seven-figure player” who “cannot stay at this club on the money he’s on”.

Pollock’s current contract is thought to be worth £150,000 a year and expires in summer 2027.

“Eddie Hearn has a job to do, and that is to promote his client and ask for more money for his client,” said Dowson. “He’s doing both of those very effectively.”

“We’ve said we want to publicise and grow the game and he has the ability to do that.

“[Contract negotiations with Pollock] are going well. We are still pushing it through.

“People have gone straight to the million-pound remark, but the other thing Eddie Hearn said is that Henry wants to win stuff, to stay at Saints and to play with our group of players. He wants to win the World Cup.

“I embrace that. I am all for that. The appetite is for him to stay. Now, we’ve got to find a happy medium. We really want to keep him, he really wants to stay, and that’s a great start.”

All Prem clubs are restricted to a £6.4m salary cap, with another £1.4m available in credits to incentivise promoting club academy prospects, compensate for absence on England duty and cover injuries.

One player’s wages can also sit outside the salary cap, an exemption that allows Bath to balance the books while also paying top earner Finn Russell a reported £1m a year.

However, despite Pollock’s marketability, it is rare for clubs to use the ‘marquee’ slot on their wage bill for a back row.

Players moving between Prem clubs are also unable to be nominated as their new employers’ excluded player until they have played for them for two seasons, restricting his ability to demand sky-high wages elsewhere in the league.