Record Setting Deal For Nahki Wells Transfer

January 10, 2014

[Updating: Championship side Huddersfield Town F.C confirmed they signed Nahki Wells “for an undisclosed Club record fee” on a four and a half year deal. 

While the transfer fee was not officially released, they did say it broke the old Club record…which stood at £1.2 million [$2 million]. This transfer fee is also believed to be the highest amount paid for a Bermudian footballer]

While Bermudian football phenom Nahki Wells is currently nursing a hamstring injury, his Bradford City FC coach has said publicly that the constant trade speculation surrounding the young superstar is also to blame for his less than stellar efforts in recent days.

According to a report in the Telegraph & Argus, Bradford City coach Phil Parkinson believes that Wells will be traded soon

Where he will end up remains unknown, but the report says that “Huddersfield became firm favourites to sign him after their odds were slashed last night, but Leeds, Middlesbrough, Burnley, and an unnamed Premier League club are among others keeping tabs on City’s leading scorer.

Coach Parkinson said: “Generally everybody is expecting Nahki to go. If that’s going to happen then the sooner it does, the better for us, because we can move forward.

“We’re not encouraging it but in Nahki’s mind, this is a window when he does want to go and it looks like that will probably happen.

“With the greatest respect, and he’d be the first to admit, his performances of late have been indifferent. He has found it difficult to cope with the speculation.

“Prior to that, he was great. But the speculation has been building, agents tell you everything which naturally you want to know, and as a young player I think he’s found it difficult.”

Update 12.15pm: According to Bradford’s hometown sports reporter Simon Parker who cites ‘sources’ at Bradford, Wells is close to signing a deal with Championship side Huddersfield Town F.C

Update 12.21pm: Skysports is also reporting this, with a headline saying: “Huddersfield are close to signing Bradford’s Nahki Wells.”

Update 12.28pm: Bradford’s home town press T&A are reporting that Nahki Wells is “poised to leave City for neighbours Huddersfield,” with the deal set to break Huddersfield’s current record transfer fee which stands at £1.2 million [$1.98 million].

Update 12.32pm: The Huddersfield press is reporting that “Nahki Wells is expected to lead the Huddersfield Town attack against Millwall at the John Smith’s Stadium tomorrow as paperwork on his proposed record transfer is expected to reach completion in the next few hours.”

Update 1.10pm: The reports keep building up, with numerous UK media outlets reporting Wells move to Huddersfield is imminent.

Update 1.29pm: There is so much talk about this on Twitter that Nahki Wells name is trending in a part of the UK. Huddersfield fans appear to be celebrating, while Bradford fans are reacting in various ways ranging from thanking him to furious tweets calling him a traitor.

Update 2.38pm: Championship side Huddersfield Town F.C has just confirmed that they have completed the signing of Nakhi Wells “for an undisclosed Club record fee on a four and a half year deal.”

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Update 2.50pm: Huddersfield Town’s Mark Robins said: “We have tracked the progress of Nahki for some time and we are delighted that we have secured his signature.

“At just 23 he has huge potential, which he has proven at Bradford in the last two seasons. He fits into our ethos of buying young, hungry players who have experience and that we can develop.

“His goal scoring record over the last 18 months is hugely impressive and we believe that he is ready to make the step up to the Championship.

“He will excite our fans and has already shown them what he can do with his goal in the Capital One Cup. I believe he will offer our frontline something different and I can’t wait to watch him in action for Huddersfield Town.

“For a young man he has already achieved a lot in his career having reached the Capital One Cup Final and promotion with Bradford.

“His achievements and potential meant that he was coveted by a host of Premier League and Championship clubs and I am delighted that he has chosen to join us.”

Update 2.53pm: There appears to be no concrete information on the fee paid yet, other than it was a record amount for the Club….but media reports from the UK suggest it was around £1.5 million [$2.47 million].

Update 6.47pm: Bermudians are not wasting any time getting familiar with Wells’ new team. Four hours after the signing was announced, Huddersfield tweeted they had a lot of Bermudians following the Club’s twitter account since the announcement, and also noted that they already had orders from the island for shirts.

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Update Jan 11, 9.28am: Huddersfield posted the video below on Instagram showing Wells — smartly attired in suit — arriving for today’s game with Millwall in what the team said “could be his first appearance for the Club.”

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Comments (62)

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  1. markus says:

    Alright Bermuda. Let’s hop off the Bradford bandwagon and hitch a ride on the Huddersfield express

  2. Truth is killin' me... says:

    I thought he was going to Manchester United for an undisclosed sum. They need all the help they can these days!!

    • Truth is killin' me... says:

      The dislikes gotta be Manure fans! THEY CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!! YAH TEAM IS FINISHED AND ARE GOING TO GO DOWN SOME MORE SPOTS!!!

      • markus says:

        LMAO

      • Come Correct says:

        Hopefully Moyes is finished but believe me United is far from done. Worry about your team until we find a bigger trophy cabinet. All the haters come out when we lose a legend.

        • Truth is killin' me... says:

          It gets better and better! Now your coach Moyes is being charged by the FA for bringing the game into disrepute for post match comments made about the match officials after your LOSS to Blunderland. LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOOOOVE IT!!

          • Come Correct says:

            Lol I said he wouldn’t make the transfer window, sadly I may be mistaken. He said he would make Everton better than Manchester United, he’s succeeded.

    • YADON says:

      Don’t worry mate we know you all excited cause cause united have had half a bad season after 20 odd years of consistently whooping your team , you are still feeling butt hurt after all that rape. One thing you forgot tho …..WE WILL NEVER DIE ,WE WILL NEVER DIE, WE KEEP THE RED FLAG FLYING HIGH CAUSE MAN UNITED WILL NEVER DIE!!!!!!!

  3. @ Markus says:

    Sorry Boss , but the Whole of Bermuda is actually a Nahki Wells FAN…

    • That is the truth and we would support him, no matter what team he plays for, but I really like the fact that this guy is making serious history.

      Congratulations all around

  4. Winnie Dread says:

    Phil Parkinson is talking fullish, he know the business of football. His performance did not drop off because of transfer speculation,that has been ongoing since his first full season every player goes through indifferent patches. Phil take the money (biggest fee Bradford will ever get for a while) and move on its a business. For the Bradford fans be thankful for the role he played in helping to get the team promoted, it’s a business, check ya lata zoooom the Scoopy 150 is goneeeeee……..

  5. well done says:

    WEll DONE NIHKI!!!

  6. Proud Bermudian says:

    This is Huge! A Bermudian in HIGH DEMAND as a Professional Athlete
    Well Done Nahki Bless up bredran
    Pull Huddlesfield up the ranks

  7. Bermyman says:

    A good chance to lift a mid table side into a play off berth. Apart from the very top, the championship is looking mighty tight right now.

  8. On form says:

    congrats mate.. keep up the strike form.. all the best in new league and team..

  9. aceboy says:

    I was hoping he’d go to a Premier League club. I wish him all the best though.

  10. swing voter says:

    Huddersfield outbid QPR? oh well….I’m still in his corner….our best export since Goater!

  11. What Grinds My Gears says:

    I think its fitting that Wells has signed with a team that has the name “TOWN” in it…. lol

    • Indepedent says:

      Didn’t even think about that one lol! Sure, will take it! Hornets for Life!

  12. Upsetwithverdict says:

    Go Nahki! Well done, proud of you brah!! Im just glad to see one of us made it!!

  13. haha says:

    Shoulda went with QPR bra…well done anyways tho!

  14. Terry says:

    He has a job that he likes.
    Well done.

  15. Darrel says:

    As a Huddersfield fan in Bermy, Great news!

  16. Come Correct says:

    Congrats Nahki keep it up.

  17. Justice For All says:

    Congrats Nahki!!! Proud of you!!! All the best!!!

  18. black says:

    As old town fan n keeper.Well done bra , do yourself and Bremy proud. We r all behind u GO TOWN

  19. Freedom says:

    Yes. My home town!

  20. FROG says:

    GO Ki, very proud of you sir, very proud ( AMEN )

  21. Denise Hollis says:

    Congratulations Nahki! Bermuda and Dandy Town are proud of you!

  22. one time says:

    Good for him hard work does pay off !!! All the best and plenty success!!!

  23. bantamboy says:

    Totally inexplicable decision by Nahki

    He’s gone to an absolutely no-mark club who are going nowhere

    He has lost a lot of goodwill also by moving to a rival and really a club with much less potential than Bradford

    • Clive Spate says:

      Ignore the dislikes.

      I expect most Bradford fans feel a little let down. He has gone to a rival team in the area who are not too far above Bradford in the scheme of things.

      He will be in the Championship though where he will be playing against stronger opposition every week giving him the opportunity to develop.

      • barry slaven says:

        I am a bradford city fan, and as such i feel i can share with you all my opinions on the nahki wells transfer. we love nahki, his goals and efforts helped us enormously, but huddersfield are our closest and possibly most bitter rivals so it is hard for bradford fans to take. its nothing personal against nahki because he was always going to move on, its about our club management allowing him to move to our nearest and most hated rivals. good luck nahki, bradford fans will always remember you with a deep affection.

    • Terrier says:

      Sore neighbours?

  24. It's ok.. says:

    Congrats Nahki!! Let the Lord lead and your good spirit is taking you places! Bermuda is so proud of what you’ve accomplished at such a young age!! Blessings to you!

  25. Darrel says:

    Here’s a little pub trivia for you new ‘Terriers’ fans :-
    How Many Teams Have Won The League Three Times In A Row?
    4 teams have done it. The first team to do it was Huddersfield town in the 1920′s they were followed by Arsenal who coincidentally won it with the same manager Huddersfield did it with (Herbert Chapman). Liverpool later on became the third team to win 3 successive titles. In the later decades Manchester United became the forth team to win three titles but they have done it twice.

  26. AJ Devon says:

    Well done Nahki! Huddersfield Town FC is a great team at the right time for you. At this stage you will need to be playing regularly and at HTFC you will get that chance to play and score.

    Bradford FC got their promotion to League 1, a cup final run with two trips to Wembley and 1.5 million pounds to spend. That mission is complete! Most BCFC fans appreciate what you have done for their team. Time to move on to a new mission.

    Give Hudders two good years and try and get them promoted to the BPL or get noticed scoring goals by the BPL teams and then move on. Premier League by 2016 should be the goal. Work hard and learn the trade on and off the field; you already have gotten much better in both of these areas. A very good interview tonight on Sky Sports.

    http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/9110125/wells-joins-huddersfield

    Huddersfield is a good young pass and move team who are known to develop young players. It will take time for you to adjust to their players but new partnerships will form. This is exciting times for you and Bermuda football fans. It will take time for the Bermuda fans to adjust to seeing you in blue and not brown. Bermuda is proud of you in any color.

    Hopefully the local TV stations will pick up the Championship League football games or the sports bars will do it. Enjoy the ride! We will.

    • Clive Spate says:

      I think it is an interesting move and a bit of a risk.

      If he is good enough then Huddersfield will be a good stepping stone. The Championship is a higher standard and he will improve if he gets plenty of time on the pitch.

      If he struggles to fit in then he might get limited opportunities which will hinder his development. He was playing regularly and playing well at Bradford.

    • So tired says:

      Encouraging, positive comments AJ Devon.

  27. Triangle Drifter says:

    $2M!!! Arrybody gonna wanna be his aceboy naw.

    Oh well, by the time the British version of the IRS get finished with him, he will be down to $1M. Don’t you just love income tax? Maybe some of it will be used to support Bermudians in England mooching off their welfare system.

    Maybe he could donate it to a charity like, um, ah, the Bermuda Government. $2M might cover the interest on the debt for like maybe 2 weeks. Nah, that is no good. He earned that $2M through dedication & hard work. The people who ran up that debt don’t deserve any help. They sat by & made it happen.

    • Like It Is says:

      You are so sad,please re-evaluate your attitude. On a mature note,congrats Nahki,well done,and all the best.

    • @Triangle Drifter. Your comment shows just how clueless you are. Bradford City got paid the $2 million as a transfer fee for Nahki. His salary hasn’t been stated. For some one who claims to know so much, you know so very little. There goes your little jab at Bermudians.

      BTW, you are a troll.

      • Triangle Drifter says:

        My humble apologies. You are right. I know & care very little about sports in general. You won’t find me on any sporting forums. It was late. Should have been in my bed getting much needed beauty rest.

        • Bernews says:

          Sorry about the lack of information, as it’s not like Bermudians are transferred everyday in English football!

          We were overexcited by this news yesterday so were all over the place with it, but have pulled ourselves together and posted an overview here for people who aren’t English football fans per se, but follow Wells career.

    • Clive Spate says:

      Do you know what transfer fee means?

    • cybercop says:

      Hey Mate….do us all a favor and lets not pollute the ‘Wells’ comments with politics. I know its freedom of speech and all that, but please lets give “jack his jacket” and enjoy the good news….man…..save that stuff for a different venue….geeeeeze…I’m just saying……I’m the cybercop….and you just got booked!

  28. Uncle Bob says:

    As a SCC Trojan fan…i wish u all the best and hope to see u in a Liverpool jersey some day!!!

  29. aceboy says:

    He doesn’t see a penny of that fee. His salary would be negotiated separately.

  30. Dales mother says:

    Well done‼️

  31. skink says:

    And he scores on his Debut game for them!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well done Nahki!!!!