Hodgson has release clause – Broughton

(GSM) – Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton has revealed that club manager Roy Hodgson’s contract contains a release clause.

Prospective owners New England Sports Ventures (NESV) will sit down with Hodgson in order to discuss the latter’s vision for Liverpool.

And although NESV currently have no plans to hire a new manager, Broughton confirmed that Hodgson already set plans for a possible exit before he signed the Liverpool contract.

Broughton told ESPN: “Roy knew when he signed up from Fulham that we were in the process of finding new owners, it was not a surprise to him. He was fully reconciled with the possibility there would be an ownership chance and the risk involved with that.

“But Roy is self confident and was, when he signed up, confident he was capable of doing the job at Liverpool. With that in mind provisions were made in Roy’s contract to relate specifically to any change in ownership.”

“I suggested that the clause relates to Hodgson being paid a full year’s salary within 28 days should the new owners want to bring in their own manager,” Broughton commented: “I don’t have Roy’s contract in front of me, so I can’t comment on that, but it is something like that in his contract.

“But he came to the club knowing full well the circumstances and the risks attached to it.”

Broughton added that Hodgson’s results will be key in deciding future at the club: “I would full expect Roy to continue as manager and there has been no indication to me to suggest otherwise. However, as we all know, at the end of the day, everything depends on results.”