I hope we get rid of him and I think we'll be better off without him.
(a) Financially: If we don't extend his contract, we pay a very large salary for the year and lose any money we could get this summer. If we do extend his contract, it's unlikely to be for less money than he's currently on, and for the money we pay him, we could probably pay 2 (or even 3) top players under the new wage structure. However, there's no real reason for him to extend anyway, as he'll command a bigger salary next year if he's free (at this point, he may not care so much about the money, but I know someone who does...).
(b) On the Field: There's no doubt he's a great player who has won quite a few games for us during his time here. However, for me he's not the guy for a very top-level club. Ask Ferguson, ask Sabella. He's great when there's no one else who's gonna win the game for you, but I don't think he's a great team player most of the time. His instinct is to do it on his own, and he's pretty good at that. He saved West Ham almost single-handed, but at a team with so many more options, I don't think his decision-making is always the best. He ought to be at a second-tier club like Everton or Sparky's City, where he really is the best bet to win the game. As far as I'm concerned, the way he plays makes him look good, but at the expense of the team. Which is ironic, since his high work-rate is often touted as evidence that he's the ultimate team-player.
There's no way anyone could possibly disagree with that...
