Showunmi's new deal sunk over agents' cut

The Luton Town manager, Mike Newell, has said that he will refuse to bow to strong-arm tactics from player representatives - after admitting he cannot re-sign one of his own players because agents are demanding too much money.

Newell has put a contract offer in front of striker Enoch Showunmi, 23, but the manager revealed that the player has refused to sign because his agents are waiting for their cut.

"Nothing has come of Enoch's contract because, believe it or not, the agents have got involved and their demands far outweighed his," said Newell, who caused a stir when he called agents "the scourge of the game" earlier this month.

Though Newell declined to name Showunmi's representatives, he admitted that he has been trying for months to get the Nigerian forward to put pen to paper.

He said: "There comes a time where you can't keep pushing and pushing.

"They are trying to get the most for themselves - it has got nothing to do with the wages for the player. They believe that they can get it elsewhere, and we are not prepared to pay the amount they are asking."