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Mark McCall breaks silence on Tom Willis' Saracens' future
By Neil Fissler
Saracens boss Mark McCall says that Tom Willis has been offered a new deal to keep him at the club beyond his current contract, which runs out at the end of the season.
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But he says that the England international, who has become one of the most sought-after players in the final 12 months of his deal, is yet to put pen to paper.
Willis, 26, has won eight Test caps and is one of the players to hold a lucrative EPS contract worth around £150,000–£160,000 per season, which would be lost if he agreed a deal with a club outside PREM Rugby.
“He’s got a contract offer from us. We’re just waiting for him to sign it. He hasn’t signed it yet, so he obviously has interest from elsewhere,” said McCall after Sunday’s 20–14 defeat at the hands of Harlequins.
Interest in No.8 Willis, who has scored 13 tries in 43 appearances for Saracens since moving from Top 14 giants Bordeaux, where he had a stint three years ago following Wasps’ liquidation, is growing by the day.
The Observer reported over the weekend that Lyon and Bayonne have made moves to take him across the Channel to join his older brother, Jack, who has enjoyed major success with Toulouse.
They also claimed that Reading-born Willis, educated at Henley College, has received interest from clubs in Japan as well as from the breakaway competition R360, but that this would again spell the end of his England involvement.
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Bordeaux have added their name to a list of French clubs who have him on their shopping lists, while Newcastle Red Bulls, newly minted after their takeover by the Austrian energy drinks giants, are said to be keen.
PREM Rugby champions Bath, who have yet to start their recruitment drive, could also be interested in adding him to their squad, but that is likely to depend on them losing current squad members.
An offer could also come from Gloucester, who have made a big back-row signing their number-one priority for next season and are also interested in Harlequins and England star Chandler Cunningham-South.