Leyton Orient head coach Richie Wellens has claimed that Bristol Rovers are paying new forward Ruel Sotiriou “40 per cent more” than their highest earner after the 23-year-old opted to join the Gas upon the expiry of his contract in East London.
Sotiriou came through the youth system at the O’s before going on to make 172 first team appearances, helping Wellens’ side to promotion from League Two two seasons ago before scoring 11 league goals last term as they finished 11th in League One.
However, despite being offered a new contract, the Cyprus international opted for a new challenge, becoming one of seven new signings announced by Rovers so far this summer. From Wellen’s view though, the finances the Gas were able to offer the forward played a major part in their capture of him.
In his first preseason interview with club media, the Orient manager was asked about his thoughts on the O’s schedule, which included a difficult opening trio of games at home against Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers before traveling to Charlton Athletic. “That just shows the level that we’re at now and the level that some of these clubs are dropping down to which is exciting but it’s also difficult,” he said.
“We have to acknowledge the talent that some of these clubs possess. Ruel Sotiriou left us recently for Bristol Rovers, a team that is roughly our size. comparable numbers to the previous season. The fact that they paid him 40% more than our best earner only serves to highlight how competitive our league is. Therefore, we must remove everything from other areas.”
Given that Stockport County and Wrexham have been promoted and Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town, and Rotherham United have been demoted from the Championship, League One is predicted to be the most competitive it has been in years, if not ever. Furthermore, other former Premier League teams including Blackpool, Charlton, Wigan Athletic, Bolton, and.
Ahead of the upcoming season, optimism has grown among Gasheads due to seven new acquisitions, with Sotiriou being one addition that fans are quite happy about. The 23-year-old is one of four new players in BS7 who have committed to three-year contracts, with the possibility of an additional season contained in each of their agreements.
Leave a Reply