Ken Bates: Yes, it is a good move for the club. When we talked to Schmeichel’s agent, he made it quite clear he didn’t really want to sign an extended contract, which means we would lose him next summer and he said he thought he was worthy of Premiership football, which was a matter of debate as far as I was concerned. In the circumstances, we considered the matter and decided there’s no point in keeping a player who is just using us as a stepping stone to moving on. Furthermore, the indications of his salary requirements were, in my opinion, unrealistic and we thought he had a mixed season anyway, a bit like curate’s egg; good in parts, bad in parts. So we thought it was better to move on, take a good profit, which of course goes into Simon’s fighting fund, and look around elsewhere. We have already signed one goalkeeper, of course, but we’re looking for another one to ensure we’re covered in depth and that process is ongoing. So we wish Schmeichel luck but we don’t see him as any great loss.
