Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Wolves to get Elliott Bennett windfall
Wednesday 15th June 2011, 10:55AM BST.
Wolves were today heading for a six-figure windfall after Norwich snapped up £1.5million winger Elliott Bennett from Brighton.
The 22-year-old, whose fee could rise to £2million, was a product of the Wolves academy.
But Bennett moved on for £200,000 rising to £250,000 in August 2009 after just two Carling Cup games at Molineux, spending his last 18 months at the club on loan at Bury.
Wolves negotiated an undisclosed sell-on at the time of the Telford-born wideman’s departure, guaranteeing them a profit on anything above the initial fee.
Bennett proved a huge hit in his two years on the south coast, playing every game as Brighton swept to the League One title last season in a total of exactly 100 appearances.
Chief executive Jez Moxey said at the time: “Elliott is at the stage where he needs regular first team football, and, having reached the Premier League, we felt Elliott wasn’t going to be getting that here at this stage.
“So this is a move that works out for all parties.”
No homegrown player, apart from goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, has established themselves as a Wolves regular in manager Mick McCarthy’s five years at the club.
But there has been a steep increase in the quality of player needed through promotion and establishing the team in the Premier League.
And McCarthy stressed in March shortly after the Canaries were first linked with the player that Bennett wasn’t good enough for Wolves at the time.
Bennett is the third Wolves academy product to earn the club a six-figure fee since they were promoted after Mark Davies and Mark Connolly, who moved to Bolton for an initial £1million and £400,000 respectively.
Ironically, Bennett’s younger brother Kyle, 20, who was more highly regarded than his older sibling at Wolves, is now with Bury, where he played 32 league games last season.
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