Fuad Sule provides update on Glentoran future and insists contract negotiations won't 'influence me or the way I play'
Glentoran midfield maestro Fuad Sule insists he won’t let ongoing contract negotiations impact his form on the pitch and says “we will probably wait until the end of the season” before making a final decision on his future.
The 28-year-old has been a key influence at the Glens this season, helping them win the Co Antrim Shield and reach the BetMcLean Cup final, while Declan Devine’s side are also still in the hunt for Irish Cup glory and automatic European football for next term.
Several senior stars, including Daniel Gyollai, Danny Amos and David Fisher, have signed new deals at The Oval, but Sule has yet to commit to the East Belfast outfit with his contract set to expire this summer.
Sule has enjoyed a standout campaign with Devine claiming he’s “in the top two or three midfield players in the league” and reaffirmed his belief that “we can trust and rely on him one million percent no matter what way he sees his future”.
Former Barnet midfielder Sule helped Larne win their first-ever Premiership title before joining Glentoran in 2023 and while discussions are being held in the background, there’s no immediate update expected.
"It has been very well documented the situation with me at the moment,” he said on BBC Sportsound. “There are people looking after the negotiations and all I can do is perform my best on a Friday or Saturday and I feel like I'm doing that at the moment.
"I don't tend to let these things influence me or the way I play. We will probably wait until the end of the season to see what happens."
Glentoran are currently enjoying a 16-game unbeaten run – they’d won each of their last nine before Tuesday’s dramatic draw with Ballymena United – and they’re in pole position to secure second spot behind runaway Premiership leaders Linfield.
There’s a sense of real positivity and optimism for the future under Devine and Sule says the former Derry City chief has helped implement structure at the club.
"You can't build a house on poor foundations and I think the manager has laid the perfect foundations for us to build on since pre-season,” he added. “You can see the results of that now coming to the fore on a weekly basis.
"We're more consistent but people don't realise that off the pitch stuff can impact on the pitch...fans see what is on the pitch on a Friday or Saturday and that's all they care about, but if off the pitch isn't right then nine times out of 10 on the pitch won't be right."
Sule’s introduction to the Irish League was with Larne in 2018, going on to win the Championship and Premiership alongside three Co Antrim Shields across five years, and he reflects fondly on time spent at Inver Park.
"I was there for a long time and it's never easy leaving a club you've been at for many years,” he said. “I don't tend to move around clubs too often - I tend to stay for a good period of time.
"I loved every minute of it, had success there, great people, great town, great team-mates that I'm still in touch with, but that's in the past now and I'm looking forward to the future with Glentoran."