Smurthwaite denies Romanian’s Port Vale “job offer” claim
Norman Smurthwaite has denied a claim by Romanian manager Marius Șumudică after he had said that he had turned down a job offer from Port Vale.
Șumudică was talking after his side Astra Giurgiu defeated West Ham 1-0 in the former Olympic stadium to progress to knock the Hammers out of Europe.
Someone called me and I have an offer from Port Vale. Sorry, but now we have qualified I am staying in my country…
In what appears to be an emotional post-match interview, Șumudică said: “It is the best day of my life, pretty much on the same level as when my children were born.
“To put it into perspective,we have got our budget for the entire year from this and I’ll sleep well until the summer. I have 25 players in my squad and the total they earn in a month is 130,000 Euros.
“The players came to me in tears and said they could not play with a different manager. I would love to stay in England – I am waiting for offers.
“Someone called me and I have an offer from Port Vale. Sorry, but now we have qualified I am staying in my country.”
However, Vale owner Norman Smurthwaite has tweeted to deny the claim:
funny story. Never heard of him. Guess he is glory hunting
— Norman Smurthwaite (@smurfpvfc) August 26, 2016