CONFIRMED - Michael Hector to Chelsea

[Winston Smith]

£4m is decent money for Hector but I can't help but think we should have been trying to get a lot more than that, at least £6-8m surely and should put a 'rising to' x amount clause in there too, considering Stones is apparently worth £35m+

If he has a £4m release clause in his contract then there is nothing we can do about it

We shouldn't have given him a £4m release clause then, considering he only signed the damn thing this summer.

Release clauses are negotiated. It would not have been our choice to set it at £4M, that is where both parties would have ended up agreeing to in ordee to get the contract signed

[Royal Rother]

I'm sure any decision re escape clause was done on balance of all considerations.

Maybe his wage was £10k pw less than everyone felt he could get and therefore a lower release fee set.

Who knows?

What I do know is that I trust the club in its negotiations over contracts.

And that hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[Who Moved The Goalposts?]

I'm sure any decision re escape clause was done on balance of all considerations.

Maybe his wage was £10k pw less than everyone felt he could get and therefore a lower release fee set.

Who knows?

What I do know is that I trust the club in its negotiations over contracts.

And that hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Nobody knows. But outside of the disastrous Zingarevich reign, I'd say we have a pretty decent record when it comes to contracts, and Hammond is very good at his job.

[RoyallyFcuked]

Fair points TBM and Vision, I know it wouldn't have been the clubs choice but I just thought if there was a clause we might have been able to get it higher than that.

I guess when its not your choice you just have to accept it and I'm sure £4m was the best they could get, so we have to be satisfied.

[Larry_Parnell]

Chelsea fans seem delighted about it
http://www.theshedend.com/topic/28457-michael-hector/

[Hoop Blah]

I do think it's pretty unrealistic to think we can get more than £4m for a bang average 23 year old defender who's had one half decent season in the Championship.

He catches the eye because he likes to try and nick the ball and be a bit clever but, when it comes to stopping the opposition from scoring he's not that great.

If you consider that when they were negotiating the release clause he was effectively 12 months away from a free transfer then getting £4m is actually a pretty good bit of business.

[Sutekh]

Now we need a centre back from somewhere, Cooper is the only real specialist cover we've got.

[Elm Park Kid]

I do think it's pretty unrealistic to think we can get more than £4m for a bang average 23 year old defender who's had one half decent season in the Championship.

He catches the eye because he likes to try and nick the ball and be a bit clever but, when it comes to stopping the opposition from scoring he's not that great.

If you consider that when they were negotiating the release clause he was effectively 12 months away from a free transfer then getting £4m is actually a pretty good bit of business.

I have to agree with this.

There seems to be little actual evidence that he has the talent to perform at a Premiership level. He did well last season but nothing particularly special. I mean there wasn't that much outcry when he was dropped. If it wasn't Chelsea buying him I think we'd all be perfectly happy with £4m.

Too many football fans are blinkered about the ability of their own players, I think this is one of those cases.

[Hoop Blah]

Now we need a centre back from somewhere, Cooper is the only real specialist cover we've got.

If we don't get him back on loan or something then I'd agree but, trying to keep a positive view on it, we were in the same position for most of last season with just Pearce, Hector and Cooper as centre halfs (not that last season is a blueprint for success of course!).

[Platypuss]

Now we need a centre back from somewhere, Cooper is the only real specialist cover we've got.

Thought Hector was going to be loaned back to us.

[theroyalsaregoingup]

Do an Everton and rejected it 3 times surely we can get at least 30 million for him

[loyalroyal4life]

I do think it's pretty unrealistic to think we can get more than £4m for a bang average 23 year old defender who's had one half decent season in the Championship.

He catches the eye because he likes to try and nick the ball and be a bit clever but, when it comes to stopping the opposition from scoring he's not that great.

If you consider that when they were negotiating the release clause he was effectively 12 months away from a free transfer then getting £4m is actually a pretty good bit of business.

Spot on,

[Bandini]

It's all shit.

Everything is shit.

It's a scandal that you missed out on writing the songs for he lego movie.

[genome]

Confimred

[genome]

Five year deal and loaned back to us.

[Oilroyal]

Great bit of business with the RFC - CFC relationship getting stronger!

[Royal Ginger]

...and doesn't he look delighted...

[royalp-we]

Boyhood Chelsea fan, can't blame the kid.


We get to keep him for the season so as it stands our defence has come through TDD fairly unscathed, well the whole squad seems to have really

[sandman]

Jamie Redknapp - "They obviously are expecting him to come in straight away and challenge John Terry"

Jim White - "Have to stop you there Jamie as I understand he's going straight back to Reading on loan"

[Ian Royal]

oxf*rd furious. Hector was my current favourite by a mile.

Considering he's gone to Chelsea I feel the fee's a bit light, but I spose the loan back makes up for that.

He'll never make it there and I think the loan back is the only thing that prevents this being a big dent in his long-term prospects of playing at the highest level.

He's dead to me now.