Everyone’s so focused on the “they might flop” scenario. The same can be applied to a player on a 5 year contract. The same could be applied to a World Class player on a 3 year contract. It’s so simplistic to look at that 1 aspect and say it’s bad.
A 300,000 p/w contract for 3 years is £46,800,000
A £200,000 p/w contract for 3 years is £31,200,000.
A £80,000 p/w contract over 8 years is £33,280,000.
No bonuses included (providing they’re flops). Base contract for a World Class player is more lucrative than a young player on a 8 year contract.