7:00am Thursday 9th July 2009
By Ned Payne
ANDREW Fitton is confident Town have done ‘the right deal’ in selling striker Simon Cox to West Brom.
The 32-goal hitman signed a two-year deal at the Championship outfit yesterday after new Hawthorns boss Roberto Di Matteo authorised the transfer.
And Town chairman Fitton said every aspect of the £1.9million deal had been done to the full satisfaction of both player and club.
He also revealed that Town could profit from negotiating a sell-on clause with the Midlands club for the 22-year-old, although he refused to disclose what percentage Town would receive.
“It was important it was a proper deal and it was the right one,” said Fitton.
“It’s a win all-round.
“He scored goals, was popular with the crowd and didn’t cost us very much.He’s got the right move and we’ve got financial reward.
“From the moment we (the two clubs) agreed we never had any questions that the deal would not go through.
“West Brom’s offer was the best offer and we went back to them and said, ‘We think you’re the right club’.
“We asked them to make a couple of changes, which they did. They were great people to deal with and that’s important.”
And when asked what the specific benefits of the deal were for Town, Fitton said: “There was an amount that was guaranteed and add-ons we will get, because he will play football for West Brom.
“These are the kind of things we’ve taken into account.
“You’re dealing with the clubs you want to deal with and it was the right place for him to go.
“Once it was known that we might be willing to sell him, we had six or seven clubs that talked to us but the offer from West Brom was the best offer.”
Town will receive £900,000 for Cox straight up from West Brom and it is believed that £600,000 will be passed on to Reading as part of a sell-on clause, which the clubs negotiated before the striker arrived in Wiltshire.
The Robins may get up to £400,000 in add-ons from the Baggies, depending on how Cox performs for the Championship club.
Fitton added that he felt Cox’s career path was one that was becoming increasingly prevalent in modern football.
He said: “If you’re a young player, unless you happen to be Wayne Rooney, you’re better off starting out at a lower league football club, rather than getting lost in a big club.
“More and more players are going to realise that they are better off coming to clubs like Swindon where they get a chance to shine, and they are given the opportunity to move on if that’s the right thing to do.
“You can use Simon Cox as a model example.”
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