Hunt signs to 2012

[Hoop Blah]

But he can't leave before the summer

It's a long term investment to tie him down to a longer term contract now to stop him walking away in 18 months time.

Him being able to leave now or in the summer is irrellevant. Now we won't be in the Sidwell/Lita situation in 12 or 18 months time with a player looking to run down his contract.

[Silver Fox]

If the new contract now has a lower "release clause" then whereas yesterday he could leave in the summer if someone offered 5M for him today he can leave in the summer if someone offers 2.5M and a bag of chips (I'm making up the actual figures, it seems the done thing) How is that a good idea?

[Sun Tzu]

If the new contract now has a lower "release clause" then whereas yesterday he could leave in the summer if someone offered 5M for him today he can leave in the summer if someone offers 2.5M and a bag of chips (I'm making up the actual figures, it seems the done thing) How is that a good idea?

I don't think it would be, hence my suggestion that the clause has quite possibly been removed.

There would not really seem to be any great benefit in it to either side.

No clause except for a break if we don;t get promoted this summer would make more sense.

[Thames]

Contracts mean nothing, just bugger off S Hunt

[Hoop Blah]

If the new contract now has a lower "release clause" then whereas yesterday he could leave in the summer if someone offered 5M for him today he can leave in the summer if someone offers 2.5M and a bag of chips (I'm making up the actual figures, it seems the done thing) How is that a good idea?

If the new release clause was realistic (ie a figure we'd be willing to sell at) it might mean that we actually get money at some point for him because he's willing to sign the new deal. If he doesn't sign the new deal and nobody offers what we consider to be a realistic offer (and we're probably going to hold him to the agreed £5m) then he just decides to play out his contract and leave for nothing in 18 months time. Don't forget as players near the end of their contract their perceived value also drops in the eyes of potential buyers.

We now aren't at risk of losing him for nothing in 18 months time.

As we have no idea at the moment on the details of a clause even existing let alone at what amount it's a bit of a moot point, although the security of protecting a valuable asset for a longer period of time is still a benefit for the club.

[holsgrove breaks a leg]

Contracts mean nothing, just bugger off S Hunt

Err i would have quite liked a fee for Sidwell actually but he chose not to sign on,both player were/are committed to reading duringtheir time and have by and large produced the goods. Cant some people deal with the fact that the premiership for all its good points becomes a rat race in the end, and this panto like bleating about our key players to dig up something that ultimately isnt there given our current status in the championship??

[Millsy]

Absolutley

Fantastic

News

MASSIVE well done to Sir John, Hammond, Coppell et al for holding onto fantastic players.

A settled Hunt is the difference between Premiership football next season or not.

BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hoop Blah]

Absolutley

Fantastic

News

MASSIVE well done to Sir John, Hammond, Coppell et al for holding onto fantastic players.

A settled Hunt is the difference between Premiership football next season or not.

BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How is this making him more settled by the way?

It won't change his view that if someone 'bigger and better' than us come in wanting to pay him more than us he'll want to join them.

[Millsy]

Absolutley

Fantastic

News

MASSIVE well done to Sir John, Hammond, Coppell et al for holding onto fantastic players.

A settled Hunt is the difference between Premiership football next season or not.

BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How is this making him more settled by the way?

It won't change his view that if someone 'bigger and better' than us come in wanting to pay him more than us he'll want to join them.

No brainer.

Transfer window closed.

He's still here.

Ad will be till end of current campaign.

One goal remains = acheiving promotion.

What happens in the summer is of no concern to anyone right now.

[Hoop Blah]

So how does the new contract make him more settled?

New contract or no new contract he'd apparently have been happy to stay here all along...

[loyalroyal4life]

sorry but even though it is good as it will reduce the speculation surrounding him, still think he is a twat!! Obviously he has realised he isnt better than Reading and no one will come in for him so its best he signs on!!

[rg6royal]

Good news.

Good commitment from Hunty.

[Arf_Royal]

Good news, lets hope he starts being less lazy now

[londinium]

I am over the moon.. I think him moving on would have been the difference in us getting to the Prem or not.... more so than Doyle whose goal record recently is a poor 2 goals in the last 12 games, which is the same as Cisse and Long, and Longy has only been on the pitch a fraction of the time. Infact Litas goals per minutes on pitch in the last 12 is better than Doyle's, as is Long's obviously.

Ivar, and even Fedders goals per minute played in the last 12 games arent far behind Doyle.

[Victor Meldrew]

I haven't seen the announcement from the club but presumably there will be something on the lines of "this is like a new signing blah blah".
If this means that Hunt is a new signing and he becomes again the player of that meaningless FA Cup game at Spurs last season fine but if he is the Hunt of the past 2 months and the second half of last season I hope he is replaced by Jay Tabb starting this Saturday.
I can't beleve that those on here who have spoken as if the saviour is still here have actually been to any games recently and in particular to Southampton and QPR.
The one really important point for us of the transfer window closing is that our far and away best player will be here for the rest of the season-Kevin Doyle.

[facaldaqui]

As usual, a whole bunch of supporters here underestimate Coppell and co. Never do that.

Just musing, but here's another possibility. Coppell realised that trust between him and Hunt may have broken down somewhat in the last month, and so, apart from other aspects of the contract, he may have wanted to heal that in case it festered. The problem was that Hunt believed Coppell wasn't filling him in about verbal offers, whereas Coppell took the view that nothing counts as a bid till it's down on paper. He was quite brutal about that in public but probably intended to explain to Hunt in person when appropriate. This was a potentially serious trust issue. Hunt said that someone at the club should maybe go to confession, which is a polite way of calling Coppell a liar. Now by getting Hunt to the table, the air has been cleared. Hunt's latest remarks sound as if he's taken Coppell's side of it on board; he's also been given the sort of wages he wants and he has the chance to be a prem player anyway very soon.

I don't know what's happened about the release clause, but if I was Coppell and co I would have removed it altogether because it has proved disruptive. Even if we don't go up, I believe there's a good chance that the club has increased the chances that Hunt will stay with us. Our management are too smart to allow this season to be our last throw of the dice for promotion, and I'm sure if we stay down we will be back up amongst the promotion chasers again next season. Of course if a first or second tier club comes in for Hunt he will go, but that's normal.

[Millsy]

So how does the new contract make him more settled?

New contract or no new contract he'd apparently have been happy to stay here all along...

Him staying, transfer window closing etc will obviously make him more settled anyway, new contract or not.

But to answer your fair and good question...

No new contract - one might lean towards thinking he was rather peed off at not being bought, is still disgruntled... and is playing his last few months reluctantly but actually waiting to shoot off in the summer.

New contract - above might of course still be true, but one can more confidently lean towards thinking there's a possibility he's at least not *that* unhappy about being here and he has *at some level* at least come to terms with what's going on and is embracing his relationship with the club.... even if it's just "for now" !

Of course there are cynical possibilities and all are valid as are overly positive RTG possibilies, but on the face of it taking a step back from all the doom and gloom cynicism people love to throw especially at a much debated player like Hunt (with all the extreme biases people hold against him) this can only really be seen *broadly speaking* as a very good thing which if anything suggests he's *more settled* now having signed a new contract and still being with us than before the close of the transfer window when no new contract was in place and there were rumours of bids fying in left right and centre.

I am almost certain that promotion right *now* on the forefront of his mind, whether for the sake of his club (and his brother's club remember!) or for his own chances of being picked up in the summer by bigger club.

Fantastic news.

[Hoop Blah]

So basically you mean there is nothing to say he new contract = a settled Hunt then.

It's done to the money and anyone who thinks otherwise is just being a bit naive.

[Hoop Blah]

I don't know what's happened about the release clause, but if I was Coppell and co I would have removed it altogether because it has proved disruptive.

Not half as disruptive as not having the release clause agreed upfront and then the players getting shirty when what he considers to be acceptable bids being turned down by the club.

Hunt agreed to the clause and the value it attached to his services. If it didn't exist you can bet he'd have kicked off more, publically or behind the scenes, about the club turning down offers, enquiries, bids, call it what you like from clubs he knew were sniffing around.

[facaldaqui]

I meant the release clause was disruptive because it was an element in the contract that was beyond the club's control. So we had a month of uncertainty. If it were removed, the club could decide whether someone was for sale or not, and go from there.