Rotherham United midfielder Will Vaulks looks like he’s on his way to join Cardiff City in the near future.
The fee is alleged to be around the £2.1m region though will rise if things like number of appearances for instance happen later on. Having had a sell-on clause in his contract when he left Falkirk for the Millers in 2016, the Sottish club are going to see some of whatever Rotherham get for Vaulks – and, I don’t begrudge the Bairns any of that, if they had the insight to put that that clause in the contract then well done to them is what I say.
But, I do wonder how much we will actually get for Vaulks.
The original £2.1m is, in my humble opinion, not enough. Will Vaulks is worth much more than that to Rotherham United as a player and as an ambassador to the club. He was with the Millers when he was called up for Wales where he gained his first international caps. Plus, he perfected his goal scoring back-flip at the New York Stadium! And how will we go on without his long throws that have been at the start of a goal in the last couple of seasons? I just hope if the extra money does depend on the number of appearances he makes for City then he is a first team regular. I don’t like to think we will be short changed.
Having dropped into the Championship from the Premier League and with Aron Gunnarson leaving for pastures new, the Bluebirds are in need of a midfielder with Championship knowledge. They’ve picked a good one in Will Vaulks and I’m pleased for both parties if it’s what they both want.
I just hope we can pick up someone to take his place.
Warnock has picked a bargain from us again it seems. I reckon the Welsh connection will also have swayed Vaulks with a Cardif base ideal for his future international hopes. It’s a pity that we couldn’t get some other bids to up the price as to replace him as a championship player would cost at least £5 million. We struggled to recruit last season for this very reason. However as has been said time again everyone has their price and it’s a lot of cash into our bank. The sell on clause is a pity because Falkirk haven’t done a thing since letting him go but now have a windfall . The income to us has be put into perspective as we have allegedly had a 200k bid turned down for a 19 year old. Even on a 3 yr contract which would take him to 22 yrs on its expiry it’s a gamble since he may not reach his potential and move on for free. What’s wrong with our 19 year olds? Why haven’t we blooded them in the team ? Then maybe we might see a gem emerge and be offered 200k for one of our products. Good luck to Vaulks as he’s a great guy who will be missed at Bluebell Wood hospice as much as the New York Stadium. UTM.
It was always on the cards vaulks was moving on once we went back down to the millers level of league one, 2million plus is a decent return for vaulks but will any be invested in recruiting new players probably not, all ready bids have apparently been turned down and its a familiar worrying trend with Rotherham united and there inability to sign players, the clock is ticking towards a return to preseason training and we have one loan signing who was crocked for the season just gone and a 30 something signed on a freebie from Wigan.
A couple of points as a Falkirk fan. Will is still sadly missed at our place and was a great ambassador for the club ! His back flip after scoring was a feature at the Westfield stadium (go and have a look at his Falkirk goals)and not perfected at Rotherham 🙂 . As per the “sell on” clause, that is pretty standard nowadays and to begrudge Falkirk, who gave Will his big break is being a bit petty. I’m sure if you had a player that came out of nowhere and was being sold onto a Premiership club, you would also have a “sell on clause added.
Hi Mark, thanks for your info. I wish Falkirk well with the monies they get for Will. I had seen that he did the back flip when with you but I still think it was ‘perfected’ at Rotherham! (I did say this tongue in cheek!)
hi mark just to say that i came up to fallkirk at the end of may to visit the fallkirk wheel being a season tickt holder at rotherham could not resist a visit to your stadium while taking some pictures of the stadium two guys asked me what i was up to when i told them they offerd me a tour of the stadium which i was pleased to accept they very helpfull and took me in to one of the offices and gave me a new shirt in your away kit the yellow one the office staff told me how much everyone thought of vaulks good luck for the coming season
Sounds great that Paul!
I agree, mark, although Caz did state that she didn’t begrudge Falkirk their cut. Neither do I. Unfortunately after following the Millers since the mid-sixties I have reached the conclusion – one that many will disagree with – that I no longer trust the people running the club to act in its best interests. The latest sagas of targets missed for a relative pittance is an all too familiar refrain and I have had enough of it.
I smiled at Mark’s ‘you’d have a sell on clause added’ Kevin. Like you, I’ve supported the Millers up dale and down thingy and my heart loves them, my brain does wonder ‘would we have a sell on clause?’??
Wow Mark
So Falkirk was his big break then ? Didn’t he play for free ? I don’t blame Falkirk for the sell on clause and I reckon the funds will be well spent in Scotland. The real big break relates to his exposure in the Chamionship and subsequent call up to the Welsh squad. He has the potential to become established at Cardif and a Wales regular. I would reckon a bigger move could follow with a Rotherham sell on clause netting us tidy sum. On the other hand this could just be a fairy tale.
Good luck next season and UTM.
Greetings from Tanzania. Moved over the boarder and still building breweries! Now. We simply cannot afford to sell £2m is a joke. It’s clear why he’s loved at his clubs. Our pitch actually had him leaping higher so a better flip. He’d a true professional and ambassador for all that’s good in people HOWEVER. for Will himself. Cardiff is a career limiting move. Always Cardiff buy from us. Always it wrecks their career ! History speaks. Hope he stays. Few players go upwards after Rotherham. Few exceptions of course with Dave Watson. John Green. Mr fantastic Goater and Alfie. Ah. Alfie. Cardiff stunted his career too. A pattern. Keep up the great articles !
Thank you Paul. You are a long way from home! A friend and I were only saying the same that you can count on one hand how many players have left the safe confines of Rotherham and bettered themselves.
I’m moving further away. Was Kenya ! High number of comments on this one. Tony Stuart will always be the man that saved us. That he built us a ground. Personally funded too. But can he not sense the hurt of giving players away ? That we should say no. £2m. Where is the replacement? Are we attractive as a club ? Possibly if anyone has international ambitions Then yes. We are doing something right. We need to sow the seed. Leaving Rotherham will damage your career. That it will end your international ambition. We have to try as clearly Tony Stewart will never let us over stretch financially. And actually he’s right. 2008 was dreadful as a fan. That last week not knowing if we would play the last game of the season. That it became our last game at Millmoor. We have to reflect. Then come out fighting dirty. Will. Your career will end if you leave Rotherham!!!!
Geography is not my strongest point! You tell him, Paul! lol
Again another Rotherham starlet sold for pocket money. How can we possibly conitue like this, 26 goals from kieran Agard, gone for pitance, danny ward a tower of effort and strength, gone for pitance and half the cash to huddeŕsfield, will vaulks a full international easily worth 5 million plus in todays market, sold for pitance. Good luck to will, millers are a laughing stock, again. Just a breeding ground for good players then sell them, thats why we are a league 1 club and always will be, no ambition to move up a level, all the foundations but no bricks. Lifelong frustrated miller.
Yep, Nick, spot on in my book. I can’t fault any of the players (their agents mind are another matter) and I will imagine that Vaulks is thinking of his future with Wales going to live there and with Cardiff being a Championship club. I’m never sure how these sell-on clauses work because once we’ve sold a player we never seem to hear about them again.
Caz, I’m aware of your commitment to RUFC as I’ve been reading your articles on Vital for many years. I see we have another Panglossian piece from TS in the Yorkshire Post – I can’t access it but I don’t really need to! – and again I wonder what planet our chairman is on. The local Rotherham media lack objectivity and their interviews with Stewart are invariably hagiographic in nature. Other clubs have spent many millions in attempting (sometimes unsuccessfully) to reach the Championship. We’ve been there twice recently and blown it away with a refusal to strengthen the team. And yet we the fans are told repeatedly that it’s all for the best. I no longer believe it.
I have to agree, Kevin, we have blown it twice. I did fear (though that might be too strong a word) that we were going to be a yo-yo side but I don’t even think we will be that now selling players off for, what I believe, is a pittance.
Rotherham united are a league one club nothing more and the arguments about the size of the fee for vaulks and sell on clauses are insignificant due to the fact the powers that be lack the drive and ambition to make the millers a success long term, the fiasco in the January transfer window gone highlighted the amateur set up at the NYC and yet we the paying public are spoon fed shit constantly.
I think that’s it, Stuart, we are a League One club – we get any higher and people suddenly expect miracles which we can’t fulfill.
Caz, I have to say perhaps the hardest aspect of last season for me is that I find myself out of step with many fellow Millers. In fact I feel sometimes that I occupy a separate universe. The widespread adulation of Warne, amongst fans, in the media and amongst pundits, simply baffles me. We have allowed a situation where they and the club account last season’s relegation somehow a great achievement. It’s a case of the operation was a great success but the patient died. You pay a manager to do what others cannot. My neighbour Mrs Flood could have got us relegated and would have only charged the minimum wage. Beyond relegation Warne was responsible for boring, negative football and inspired a team to bottle in crucial games against rival relegation candidates. All the talk of not being able to compete with the Villas and Leeds is a nonsense: we lost it against car crash teams like Bolton and Ipswich.
You definitely aren’t on your own Kevin. I know many fans who says things akin to ‘if it had been another manager and not warney he’d have been sacked’ – and I can’t disagree with that statement. The thing is, I think, as fans, we all know that Warne loves Rotherham United and will always do the best he can for the club. It’s just that you do wonder, at times, if that best is good enough.
Our budget never lies. Same in the premier league. The richest clubs always finish top 6, its relavent in every division bar the odd miricle ie leicester. We had the lowest operating budget in the championship, spent nothing, got relagated. I alway go back to the wages. We can generally compete with transfer fees for good lower league players then when we are competing for the same payers against say sunderland and prtsmouth then they can double the wage. Its a no brainer for the player, bigger club , higher wage, bigger ambition. It needs to change, or stuck in league 1 forever.
Spot on, Nick.
Kevin, just read back youre messages, absolutley spot on, tactically inept perfomances. I read somewhere we hav lost 31 points from winning positions, the inability to hold on to a lead is rediculous. Playing smudge up top alone is crazy. Shipped too many goals, not scored enough. Failed in january to gain a goalscorer . Its simple really, if you continue to do the same thing week in and week out , you get the same result. Losses.