Hornets Swarm Around Eagles Nest Egg

Chris Eagles signed for the Clarets last week for an undisclosed fee. It is believed the fee involved was in seven figures with reports of £1.3 million before the signing was confirmed.

The club are keeping tight lipped on the fee involved and have not stated that the deal was a record transfer for the club, previously set earlier in the Summer when they signed Martin Paterson from Scunthorpe.

Paterson signed for an initial £1m with a further £300k dependent on appearances.

We can safely assume a similar fee with add odds was paid for Eagles but to what extent we will probably never know although one club that will be keen to find out are Watford.

Chris Eagles was a youth player at Watford between 1998-2000 and left aged only 14 to join Manchester United's Academy.

The attacking midfielder spent seven years at Old Trafford but never really established himself as a regular first team choice, often finding himself out on loan including two spells with his former club, Watford in 2005 and 2006.

Watford though are now due compensation after the player signed for the Clarets.

The compensation package was agreed between Manchester United and Watford some time after Eagles was already at Old Trafford and formed part of the deal that saw Danny Webber go in the opposite direction in July 2003.

The local paper, the Watford Observer understands that the Hornets will receive 12.5 per cent of any fee over and above £200,000. The Hornets look set therefore to receive about £125,000 and no doubt cynical fans will now sense this is one reason why the fee remained undisclosed.

Vital Burnley wish to thank Burnley FC for the use of the photograph




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