England wing Jack Nowell confesses he has “a tough decision” to make on his club future and also approves that “hands are tied” in regards to the Gallagher Premiership wage cap.
Nowell looks collection to comply with Exeter team-mates Luke Cowan-Dickie and also Sam Simmonds out of Sandy Park when his agreement ends later on this year.
Cowan-Dickie and also Simmonds will certainly bet French champs Montpellier after the World Cup, and also Nowell’s 10-year Exeter occupation shows up to remain in its last couple of months.
The 29-year-old states no choice has actually yet been made, yet a decreased wage cap of ₤ 5million has actually made it significantly challenging for English clubs to take on sides in France and also Japan.
“Everyone is pretty aware of the salary cap and stuff, and every Premiership team is in the same position,” Nowell stated.
“I would love to stay at the club, but for me I am in a position with where I am at in my career, and I have got a family, so I have got to spend a bit more time thinking about these decisions now.
“It doesn’t take anything away from what I want to do for the club now. If it is my last year, then so be it, but I want to win every game for the club and win competitions.
“I am not saying I am definitely leaving, but I have never been in a position where I am in a position to speak to other clubs.
“Nothing is set in stone at the moment, so I am pretty chilled and laidback and I am just going to see what happens.”
Exeter manager Rob Baxter states that he has to prepare for following period without Nowell, that is surrounding 50 England caps and also came to be Chiefs’ initial British and also Irish Lion when he explored New Zealand in 2017.
If Nowell does head abroad, after that existing Rugby Football Union plan implies that he will certainly not be qualified for England complying with the World Cup.
“As much as I would love to stay here and be at the Chiefs forever, Rob’s hands are tied, Tony Rowe’s (Exeter chairman and chief executive) hands are tied and that is one of the tough decisions I have got to think about now,” he included.
“As much as I would love to be here and stay here, I have got these guys (Nowell’s family) to think about, and that is why I am spending a bit of time doing it and seeing what happens.
“Like Rob said during the week, it is a very open discussion – there are no mind games going on.
“I am being very open with Rob about when, or if, a team has spoken to me, and I like that fact because it is open, it is honest and I like speaking to Rob like that.
“Covid did a lot of bad stuff to different teams, not just Wasps and Worcester. There is a lot of other stuff going on behind the scenes with other teams as well.
“I completely understand why they are doing it (the reduced salary cap) and what they are doing, but at the same time I have to look after myself, got to look after my family and I have got to see what happens.”
