Israel Premier Tech team owner Sylvan Adams appears to be pushing Chris Froome to retire after the 2023 season.

Adams also suggested that Froome's poor results in recent months and his subsequent omission from the Tour de France had "nothing to do" with the serious injuries he sustained in a terrible crash in 2019.

"How can I say we were worth the money? We signed Chris to lead the Tour de France team and he's not even here, so you can't say we were worth the money," Adams said bluntly, at the same time emphasizing his respect for Chris, a seven-time Grand Tour winner.

"This is not PR. Chris is not a symbol, not a PR tool, and he should be the leader of the Tour de France, but he's not here.

It has been incorrectly reported that Froome earns €5 million per season, which Froome denied to Cyclingnews in 2021.

Cyclingnews estimates that this figure relates to sponsors who ultimately did not sign on, with Froome earning about €1 million from Israel Premier Tech.

Adams has already explained that because Froome has won the Tour de France four times, he has a rolling contract that allows him to race until he is 40 in 2025, but the contract with Adams also means that Froome will retire after his time with Israel Premier Tech means that he will retire after his time at Israel Premier Tech.

Adams is currently keen to bring a new young rider up to Israel Premier Tech after Derek Gee turned heads at the Giro d'Italia. However, Froome hopes to continue racing in 2024 and return to the Tour de France.

On Thursday, shortly after being asked to react to Adams' comments and shortly after Israel Premier Tech released a video of Froome promoting Israel as a tourist destination, in a video titled "I WAS READY FOR THE TOUR." He reiterated his disappointment at not being selected for the Tour de France.

He said in the video that he believed he had "more to give and more to show" and described not being selected for the Tour de France team as "a pretty big disappointment, a pretty big disappointment."

Froom claimed that he was out of shape due to mechanical problems, but his best finish of the 2023 season was 14th in the Mercan Tour Classic Alpes Maritimes One-Day Race.

Adams claimed that Froome was not eligible to be selected for this year's Tour de France.

"Which of the riders on this team should have been left at home to give Chris a position he didn't win? Adams asked.

"I can't answer that question. They earned their positions and I am happy with the team I brought here. I know Chris was disappointed, but he understood the decision. But of course he was disappointed because in his heart he believed he could eventually come here and do well."

"We really brought him here as a GC guy, not as a GC guy, and we didn't sign him up to be a stage hunter," "We all, including Chris, know he is We recognize that he is not ready to compete for the podium.

Adams said that signing Froome was a risk after his crash and due to his age, but having a former Tour de France winner would have significantly improved the team's profile, even if the team could not avoid relegation from the 2023-2025 World Tour significantly improved.

He suggested that Froome's initial three-year contract with the team would end after this season, but confirmed that Froome may have the option to continue racing.

However, Adams questioned why Froome should continue to race in smaller races and compete for positions in major races with much younger riders who are more interested in stages than in the overall class, opening the door for Froome to leave at the end of this year.

Froome said in a video that he plans to compete in the Czech Tour, which begins on July 27, and possibly the Deutschland Tour. Israel Premier Tec, which lost its WorldTour status, was not invited to the Vuelta a España.

"If he starts getting results, I think it will be encouraging," Adams said.

"If he just can't get results in the lower races, does he really want to continue being a walking domestique on this team? He is retiring as a member of Israel Premier Tech."