Any player who refuses to sign for the extra 7(? 9 games, minus the 2 in June) games that their contract has expired should have to return their wages of the time period that those 7 games were to take place. I know a player is contracted for a set time, but in normal circumstances they're expected to be available, bar injury, illness, suspension, to be available for 38 Premier League a season.
Yes, I probably am holding footballers to a different standard, but then maybe we should seeing the obscene amount of money they get paid. And yes I see the point of him not wanting to get injured in those 7 games when he has a big contract on offer. However he would have been ok risking the injury if it had been played 2\3 months ago? There's no extra games being played.
Makes you wonder if future contracts may have amount of possible games to be played\season cancellations written into them from now.
I also put a caveat into this for those exceptional reasons that they don't want to play, such as Deeney originally being concerned of Covid getting to his child who has breathing difficulties. Or any Covid related reason in general, as I don't think the season should be restarted until restrictions are lighter, but that's a different conversation...