Hughes: It was time to move on

09 August 2001

Departed Albion striker Lee Hughes today denied that he changed his mind about playing for another club outside the Premiership. Speaking on signing for Coventry for a Club record sale of £5,000,001, Hughes said:

"It has been claimed that I have said I would never play for another First Division club. But that is not true - I never said that. I came here because I'm ambitious to get into the Premiership and it did not take me long to make up my mind. It's a great club."

"West Brom have their ambitions. They offered me a contract and I turned it down because the time was right for a change. It was time for a new experience."

Hughes went on to say that he believed that his former manager would be given all the proceeds of his transfer fee to spend on strengthening the team after his departure, a view confirmed by reports from Albion that the full fee, minus the 15% of the profit due to Kidderminster, would be given to Megson in addition to the funds he already had available. Given that the final total paid in fees to Harriers was £380,000, and that we had made bids totalling £1.3 million for players last week, we reckon that makes it about £5.5 million in the pot.

And speaking of the transfer fee - just high enough to trigger the escape hatch in Hughes' Albion contract - Coventry manager Gordon Strachan joked:

"I was the one who put the pound in so you can put the deal down to me!"

As Blackadder once said - I'm glad I'm wearing a strong belt, for I fear my sides may have split...

Previous Stories:

  08 August 2001:  Hughes on his way

  07 August 2001:  Brown: Bid rejected

  07 August 2001:  Hughes: Coventry offer... confusion!

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