RUFC - 'Best deal we could have got for Alfie'

Rotherham United Chief Operating Officer, Paul Douglas said that the club think they have got a good deal for departing striker, Adam Le Fondre.

Alfie, who has gone to Championship club Reading, left a message to the fans on the Official Site, thanking them for their support during his time as a Miller.

Before yesterdays game, Mr Douglas said, 'In the past couple of weeks we went from the possibility of Adam leaving to the probability of him leaving. With the type of bids that were coming in we felt it was important not to rush into anything and we had, in our mind, what we considered to be value for Adam and we were prepared to wait until an offer came in that matched that. In the end, although there was another bid that was very close, Readings was the best we received and, at the same time, for Adam it was the club that he really wanted to go to and gave him a sense that it would be a club where he could go and progress and develop his game. 'We believe it`s the best deal we could have got.`

Although the fee hasn`t been disclosed Mr Douglas said, 'The bulk of the money from the deal will come up front but, as with most deals nowadays there are elements to do with appearances and goals scored and the success of the club that the player joins, but it was important for us that we had sufficient funds to go out and replace Adam. When we did the deal with Rochdale for Adam, there was a sell on clause so they will get their portion and that was something we had to factor in when we were doing this deal.`

Asked if the Millers had someone in line to take over Alfie`s place at the club, Mr Douglas said, 'We are close but not close enough to disclose anything at the moment because it would only weaken our position. Once it became clear of the likelihood of Adam moving on we have been working hard to get a replacement but these things take time and we`re not going to be rushed. Certainly, talking about it would only weaken our position but the plan is that something will happen sooner rather than later. The negotiations we are having are moving along nicely but until they are completed it`s difficult to put a time limit on it but we are looking to do things as quickly as possible.`

One last word about Alfie, Mr Douglas said, 'The lad deserves his opportunity to play at a higher level and I`m sure he`s going to go on and prove he can perform at Championship if not higher and certainly has our best wishes and would like to think that, one day, he`ll come back and see us.`




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