Motherwell FC: £5.2 million in player sales generated in last decade

The value in selling players was illustrated on January 31 when Motherwell FC startlet James Scott moved to Hull City for £1.5 million.
James Scott cost Hull City 1.5 million (Pic by Ian McFadyen)James Scott cost Hull City 1.5 million (Pic by Ian McFadyen)
James Scott cost Hull City 1.5 million (Pic by Ian McFadyen)

With such an impressive amount of cash banked, the Steelmen announced last week that the sale had helped the club become debt free for the first time in 40 years.Some £2m of debt has been cleared since 2017 and a final payment of around £80,000 made to five individuals who invested in the club in November, it was a momentous day for everyone around Fir Park way.The Motherwell Times and Bellshill Speaker sportsdesk has consistently championed the excellent work done in recent years by chief executive Alan Burrows, chairman Jim McMahon and the club’s board in generating cash through player sales in recent seasons.While Fir Park boards of the 1980s and 1990s often drew criticism for their inability to get a fair price when selling prize assets, recent top brass have clearly had their fingers on the pulse when it comes to getting fine sums for prize assets.To illustrate the point, the Times and Speaker has compiled a list of every player sale Motherwell have made (excluding free transfers and contract expiries) – totalling around £5.2 million since the 2010-2011 season

2010-2011: Mark Reynolds – the pacy centre back was flogged for £150,000 to Sheffield Wednesday.2011-2012: No transfer fees received.2012-2013: In January 2013, attacker Jamie Murphy moved to Sheffield United for an undisclosed six-figure fee.2013-2014: Polish champions Legia Warsaw forked out £360,000 to sign slick Estonian attacker Henrik Ojamaa from Motherwell on a three-year contract.2014-2015: In June 2014, Ojamaa’s Estonian international team-mate Henri Anier joined German second division outfit Erzebirge Aue for £300,000.2015-2016: No fee received.2016-2017: A profitable summer of 2016 saw Motherwell bank a total of over £800,000 from the respective sales of winger Marvin Johnson to Oxford United and veteran midfielder Stephen Pearson’s switch to Indian Superleague side Atletico Kolkata.2017-2018: Close to £1 million was banked in this campaign, with centre back Ben Heneghan joining Sheffield United for £400,000 in summer 2017, before goal hero Louis Moult left Motherwell for Preston North End in January 2018 for £500,000.2018-2019: The fantastic scouting network at Motherwell was illustrated again in summer 2018 as man mountain centre back Cedric Kipre – signed for free just a year earlier – left Motherwell for Wigan Athletic for £1 million.2019-2020: The aforementioned James Scott – who had made just 36 first team appearances for ’Well – left to join Hull City for £1.5 million. Sadly for Scott, he sustained a serious ankle injury during his first training session with the Tigers and faces months out injured.To sum all that up, it means that Motherwell have banked around £5.2 million from player sales since 2010.That figure would have increased considerably had star midfielder David Turnbull’s record £3.25 million switch to Celtic not been cancelled at the last minute when Turnbull failed a medical due to a knee injury which has subsequently been operated on. Turnbull remains a prize asset.

And what have frugal ’Well paid out in transfers disclosed since 2010?Other than nominal fees paid out, only £10,000 for popular goalkeeper Trevor Carson from Hartlepool United in June 2017!