In a refreshing change to many footballers contract negotiations, the one involving Coventry City defender Ben Turner was simple and straightforward.
Turner has been one of Coventry City's outstanding players this season and he has been badly missed during his lengthy injury layoff, but at least he has a new three and a half year deal to show for it.
"The gaffer told me that he had spoken to the chairman and told him he wanted to keep me and to start talking to my fellas and that was it really, " said the 23 year old Birmingham born Turner to the CT.
"It was not a case of playing hardball with the chairman day after day, it was fairly straightforward. The chairman said he wanted me to stay and told me what he was planning on offering and it was basically what I wanted and that was it. I signed in December a couple of weeks before it was announced."
In stark contrast to the negotiations with Turner and his representatives, the ones surrounding Gunnarsson and Westwood have not been so straightforward.
Turner's contract, like these of Gunnarsson and Westwood were due to expire in the summer of 2011, but Westwood has chosen not to renew his contract and is set to leave the club on a free transfer in the summer thus depriving both Coventry City and his previous club Carlisle United of desperately need funds.
Negotiations with Gunnarsson's agents are dragging on and on and it is looking ever increasingly likely that the Iceland international midfielder will also be leaving Coventry City in the Summer.
Turner revealed that: "All deals are different but I am from the Midlands and this is where I want to be and if I can stay in the Midlands for all my career I would take that because that's massive for me because I like to be near my friends and family."
"I have never been unsettled and I have been happy with the way things are here and how the season has gone, and I love living in the area. For people like Aron he is miles away from home and he has probably got more options but I am happy with the way things are and just want to carry on."
"I said to my agent from day one that I don't want it to drag out because I just want to concentrate on my football. Things like that can affect your form and that was the last thing I wanted when I was playing as well as I have been."
Turner admitted the timing of the new contract was just what he needed as he was becoming increasingly frustrated at being sidelined with injury.
He said, "Things like that give you a lift and keep your morale high for when you come back, so it was important because it gave me the security to know that I can get myself right and not feel I have got to rush back before I am ready.
"It is going to take a while to get match fit but hopefully I will do that and carry on where I left off."
In a refreshingly candid statement Turner said the money side of the contract negotiations was not important to him as he only wanted to play football.
"I can only speak for myself," he said. "When you start playing football as an eight year old you don't plan to be earning millions of pounds when you are older. It is important to stay in the real world and that's part of the reason I didn't want it to drag out."
"I think football contracts can be over complicated when it is quite simple really. It's a case of do the club want you and do you want to stay and if the answer is yes to both then you say 'let's do it then'.
"I am probably lucky that it happened so quickly and it was so straightforward and simple."
Picture copyright of Covsupport News Service. Credit CNS/SB