STEPHEN HUNT - IS HIS TIME UP?

[Woodcote Royal]

Given the number of deals that go through just before these deadlines, I'm guessing the clubs must have some get out if the player fails a medical.

[Tredder]

Anyone would be mad to pay £5m with 5 minutes to go, and not have time for a medical.

Any club would be equally as mental to turn down anything in excess of 2m for S Hunt, Bullard came on as a sub for Hull last night and instantly showed the difference in quality between the two, if Reading were offered 7 figures for Hunt then they would be criminally insane not to accept.

[gazzer, loyal royal]

The club have contigancy plans for if someone bids. There will be a domino effect and we do have targets lined up and bids ready to be submitted if someone does bid £5m for hunt

[Baines]

The psychology of having a minimum fee release clause is interesting.

But for the £5m release fee, I expect that most of us would be perfectly happy to accept £3-3.5m for Hunt, and the club would find it difficult to justify to Hunt why they didn't accept an offer in that region. However, with the existence of the clause our fee expectations are raised and the club can easily say to Hunt: you thought you were worth £5m when you agreed to the clause, why should we sell you for less?

[RoyalBlue]

Anyone would be mad to pay £5m with 5 minutes to go, and not have time for a medical.

I would suspect (and certainly hope) that the lawyers could cover this possibility in any transfer deal. i.e. the purchase is subject to a medical to be carried out within x time and that if the player fails the purchase and registration of transfer is null and void.

Wouldn't mind betting a fair number of us on HNA have been offered & signed up to employment subject to passing a medical.

[Sun Tzu]

It could work either way - the selling club could tell the buying club that it was 'caveat emptor' and if they wanted to make such a late bid they take the risk on the player.

I suspect there could be an issue with registrations though. The player has to be registered by midnight and can only be registered with one club , if he's not registered with the buying club he can;t play for them until June, if he is registered withthe buying club he then can;t go back to the selling club.

Nothing to do with lawyers or contracts - it's Football League rules...

[Sun Tzu]

The problem is, as Woodcote alluded to earlier in his thread, is that if a club comes in at 4.55pm on Feb 2nd and offers £5M then the club HAS to allow SHunt to talk to them, and if he goes we won't have time to bring in a replacement.

If someone has the time to buy one of our players then we've got time to buy a replacement.

It's been widely reported that we've got irons in the fire and we could even decide to take the initiative by buying a replacement even if no one has taken Hunt. Worst case is we'd be paying his wages until June...

Interestingly in all this hunt has not actually put in a transfer request. If he was so keen to get a move he could put his desire in writing on the table, but of course there would be financial implications to it. If I was JM I'd be tempted to tell Hunt that the club were taking his press comments as a formal transfer request....

Hence the reason for the club to accept his press statements as a formal request (which I think they woul dbe entitled to do - kind of the reverse of constructive dismissal).

If they called his bluff and he saw his 5% at risk it may just change his approach.

He won't request a transfer becuase that would mean he would not get a full pay off from Reading when he does leave...

[loyalroyal4life]

After reading his follow up comments to what he said after the wolves game, s.hunt is officially a twat!!

[Gordons Cumming]

After reading his follow up comments to what he said after the wolves game, s.hunt is officially a twat!!

He compares favourably with his brother following our gifted own goal against Wolves.

[loyalroyal4life]

After reading his follow up comments to what he said after the wolves game, s.hunt is officially a twat!!

He compares favourably with his brother following our gifted own goal against Wolves.

s.hunt aint half the person noel is, hope noel's attitude remains the same with us throughout, s.hunts comments seem to of been made as a backtrack just in case a move doesnt materialise

[loyalroyal4life]

i know this has been dragging but i have just heard that he is off this afternoon

[rabidbee]

["quote="gazzer, loyal royal"]In the current climate, i very much doubt that anyone is going to pay this £5m and the £30k hunt would want a week.[/quote]

LOL at anyone who thinks that football follows normal economics.

[Horsham Royal]

I'd say part of SHunt's problem is he isn't too bright and is therefore easily got at by his agent and or the media.

Which is an accusation that you could level at approximately 95% of footballers - allegedly! I mean, if they had a brain, they would have a real job

Being clever means you'd work as an electrican / plumber for £70k / year, or an MD at £150k / year when you could be earning £15k - £30k / week as a footballer!???

70k ? Really ? Where do I sign up ?

[East Stand Royal 500]

It could work either way - the selling club could tell the buying club that it was 'caveat emptor' and if they wanted to make such a late bid they take the risk on the player.

I suspect there could be an issue with registrations though. The player has to be registered by midnight and can only be registered with one club , if he's not registered with the buying club he can;t play for them until June, if he is registered withthe buying club he then can;t go back to the selling club.

Nothing to do with lawyers or contracts - it's Football League rules...

Are you suggesting there's a 7-hour period after the window closes at 5 p.m. in which to complete the paperwork or is that the rule when 31 Jan falls on a weekday?

[Sun Tzu]

It could work either way - the selling club could tell the buying club that it was 'caveat emptor' and if they wanted to make such a late bid they take the risk on the player.

I suspect there could be an issue with registrations though. The player has to be registered by midnight and can only be registered with one club , if he's not registered with the buying club he can;t play for them until June, if he is registered withthe buying club he then can;t go back to the selling club.

Nothing to do with lawyers or contracts - it's Football League rules...

Are you suggesting there's a 7-hour period after the window closes at 5 p.m. in which to complete the paperwork or is that the rule when 31 Jan falls on a weekday?

No, my error, I forgot the extension this year wasn't to midnight !

The point still stands though, I don't see how you could build in a 'subject to medical' clause and still have a valid transfer

[Huntley & Palmer]

Aren't you forgettting the Benjani debacle last season?

[East Stand Royal 500]

It could work either way - the selling club could tell the buying club that it was 'caveat emptor' and if they wanted to make such a late bid they take the risk on the player.

I suspect there could be an issue with registrations though. The player has to be registered by midnight and can only be registered with one club , if he's not registered with the buying club he can;t play for them until June, if he is registered withthe buying club he then can;t go back to the selling club.

Nothing to do with lawyers or contracts - it's Football League rules...

Are you suggesting there's a 7-hour period after the window closes at 5 p.m. in which to complete the paperwork or is that the rule when 31 Jan falls on a weekday?

No, my error, I forgot the extension this year wasn't to midnight !

The point still stands though, I don't see how you could build in a 'subject to medical' clause and still have a valid transfer

I agree with you. What's more, I don't suppose there's anything in the £5 million trigger clause that requires RFC to bust a gut to enable the transfer to go through. I would have thought that a formal offer would need to be lodged before close of play on Sunday to have any realistic chance of completing against the wishes of the club. Even that would be tight if the bidder is not allowed to negotiate personal terms with the player until permission has been given. Watch out for helicopter movements - it's a long way to drive to Wigan.

[Sun Tzu]

Aren't you forgettting the Benjani debacle last season?

Wasn't that an admin cock up rather than a deal done subject to certain conditions ?

Not sure I actually ever understood the full story with the whole deal !!

[Sun Tzu]

The problem is, as Woodcote alluded to earlier in his thread, is that if a club comes in at 4.55pm on Feb 2nd and offers £5M then the club HAS to allow SHunt to talk to them, and if he goes we won't have time to bring in a replacement.

If someone has the time to buy one of our players then we've got time to buy a replacement.

Feel free to justify this statement

Seems self evident really doesn't it ?
It's not as if the possibility of Hunt going is likely to take us by surprise.

And we can send all the faxes off at the same time....

[Mr Optimist]

I just can't help thinking Stephen Hunt's current attitude is down to the fact that the guy has incredible self belief in his own ability and sees this as his big chance, at the peak time of his career to move to an established "glamour" Prem League club when he hears Spuds and Everton have been sniffing around. When his star is in the ascendancy....

I also can't help thinking he has never really got over only playing a "bit part" role in the 106 season and that may be if he had been a more of an integral part of the team at that time he may have a bit more patience now with 5pm Monday advancing quickly. He may consider that RFC have never really valued him as highly as he values himself and have always had the better part of the relationship.

Another factor is I suppose that we are fans and I personally would happily play for RFC for nothing, to Stephen Hunt and all the other players RFC is a job, and a stepping stone at that, and is getting agitated and impatient that his dream move is not going to happen. I still think the current whiny noises are being a bit disrespectful to RFC and Steve Coppell for the part they have played in advancing his career to date though.

Help take RFC back up, play your part, and then leave with your head held high to a bigger club with the respect of the fans. Is it going to be that bad at RFC for the next three and a half months!??!!