Players we have bought...

[GazLaz]

Who was the last player we bought from a league club that was actually a first team regular and wanted by the club they were at. We paid fees for Marquis and Whiteman but neither were in the first team at their respective clubs. I believe we paid a fee for James but he wasn’t wanted by Sunderland and was going to be third choice. 

[Chris Black come back]

‘Bought’ is a flexible term, but the lad Taylor was I believe still wanted by Rotherham United but he chose to come to us. No fee involved, but our contract offer would have been substantial.

[Jonathan]

Who was the last player we bought from a league club that was actually a first team regular and wanted by the club they were at. We paid fees for Marquis and Whiteman but neither were in the first team at their respective clubs. I believe we paid a fee for James but he wasn’t wanted by Sunderland and was going to be third choice. 

No fee was paid for Marquis. He was a great bit of business for us.

[Bollinger]

I think Whitman was a reluctant parting of the ways. United thought he had a longer term part to play even though he wasn't  a first team regular. A lot of their fans thought he might well 'do a Billy Sharp' and end up back there.

Anyway in response to the OP off the top of my head my best guess would be James Hayter?

[GazLaz]

‘Bought’ is a flexible term, but the lad Taylor was I believe still wanted by Rotherham United but he chose to come to us. No fee involved, but our contract offer would have been substantial.

Taylor was a free agent though.

[RoversAlias]

Is it Alex Kiwomya? I believe we paid Chelsea for him, even if he wasn't a member of their first team.

[Jonathan]

James Hayter and George Friend are good examples. Ross Etheridge is a less successful example.

[wing commander]

Well if you believe the Rotherham fans Taylor was offered a new contract at the end of last season..He declined it as Championship clubs were interested in signing him..That didn't materialise and apparently his agent went back to Rotherham and asked if the contract was still available..Rotherham declined as they had already replaced him.....Then he turns up here..

[Dutch Uncle]

Harry Forrester?

[Chris Black come back]

‘Bought’ is a flexible term, but the lad Taylor was I believe still wanted by Rotherham United but he chose to come to us. No fee involved, but our contract offer would have been substantial.

Taylor was a free agent though.

I know. That was my point. We didn’t pay a fee for him as such, but he was wanted by Rotherham United but he preferred to leave and come to us. He did not sign their contract offer, he signed our offer. There was no fee as such to be paid, but this would to all intents been baked into our contract offer.

[GazLaz]

James Hayter and George Friend are good examples. Ross Etheridge is a less successful example.

Friend was signed from Wolves wasn’t he? Did he even play for them?

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Who was the last player we bought from a league club that was actually a first team regular and wanted by the club they were at. We paid fees for Marquis and Whiteman but neither were in the first team at their respective clubs. I believe we paid a fee for James but he wasn’t wanted by Sunderland and was going to be third choice. 

Why ask the question when all you're boiling down to is a lack of ambition in your opinion. Don't skirt round it!

[dickos1]

‘Bought’ is a flexible term, but the lad Taylor was I believe still wanted by Rotherham United but he chose to come to us. No fee involved, but our contract offer would have been substantial.

Taylor was a free agent though.

I know. That was my point. We didn’t pay a fee for him as such, but he was wanted by Rotherham United but he preferred to leave and come to us. He did not sign their contract offer, he signed our offer. There was no fee as such to be paid, but this would to all intents been baked into our contract offer.

He didn’t decline it to sign for us, he declined it because he wanted to stay in the championship and had clubs interested in him from the championship.
Rotherham gave him a deadline to resign and he didn’t.

[dickos1]

Who was the last player we bought from a league club that was actually a first team regular and wanted by the club they were at. We paid fees for Marquis and Whiteman but neither were in the first team at their respective clubs. I believe we paid a fee for James but he wasn’t wanted by Sunderland and was going to be third choice. 

Why ask the question when all you're boiling down to is a lack of ambition in your opinion. Don't skirt round it!

Why are people so defensive, it’s a valid point to discuss

[Jonathan]

James Hayter and George Friend are good examples. Ross Etheridge is a less successful example.

Friend was signed from Wolves wasn’t he? Did he even play for them?

Exeter. And yes, I think he was their captain.

[keith79]

The lad from Sunderland. We paid money for him

[vaya]

Mason?

Not a regular though, reading the OP through properly.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Who was the last player we bought from a league club that was actually a first team regular and wanted by the club they were at. We paid fees for Marquis and Whiteman but neither were in the first team at their respective clubs. I believe we paid a fee for James but he wasn’t wanted by Sunderland and was going to be third choice. 

Why ask the question when all you're boiling down to is a lack of ambition in your opinion. Don't skirt round it!

Why are people so defensive, it’s a valid point to discuss

Oh come on. You know it's a loaded question!

[steve@dcfd]

Who was the last player we bought from a league club that was actually a first team regular and wanted by the club they were at. We paid fees for Marquis and Whiteman but neither were in the first team at their respective clubs. I believe we paid a fee for James but he wasn’t wanted by Sunderland and was going to be third choice. 

Why ask the question when all you're boiling down to is a lack of ambition in your opinion. Don't skirt round it!

Why are people so defensive, it’s a valid point to discuss

Oh come on. You know it's a loaded question!

Supporters are talking about the Barnsley way but unless you are a level 2  Academy and can get 1/2/3 players to sell then you either have to pick up good free agents or pay for them. We have had a free agent in Marquis which we have got money for. We paid for Whiteman after loan hopefully he will progress with us or we sell for a profit.

But buying players is not in the Doncaster DNA at the moment unless we have to like James. Buying a striker wasn’t it Billy were the current owners involved at that time?  So we continue with our way thinking about ambition and promotion and hoping we can achieve it.

[Chris Black come back]

‘Bought’ is a flexible term, but the lad Taylor was I believe still wanted by Rotherham United but he chose to come to us. No fee involved, but our contract offer would have been substantial.

Taylor was a free agent though.

I know. That was my point. We didn’t pay a fee for him as such, but he was wanted by Rotherham United but he preferred to leave and come to us. He did not sign their contract offer, he signed our offer. There was no fee as such to be paid, but this would to all intents been baked into our contract offer.

He didn’t decline it to sign for us, he declined it because he wanted to stay in the championship and had clubs interested in him from the championship.
Rotherham gave him a deadline to resign and he didn’t.

I did not say that he declined to sign it for us.

He had an offer on the table at Rotherham United that he could have signed. He was wanted by that club. They offered him a deal to stay.

He did not sign their deal. He signed our deal.

[dickos1]

So nothing to do with the original question then

[Chris Black come back]

He was a first team regular and wanted by his club. They offered him a new deal so that he would stay with them.

He is now our player.

[steve@dcfd]

He was a first team regular and wanted by his club. They offered him a new deal so that he would stay with them.

He is now our player.

But he was a free agent we did not buy him. Yes we will pay wages maybe a signing on fee but we did not pay  a transfer fee.

[GazLaz]

Who was the last player we bought from a league club that was actually a first team regular and wanted by the club they were at. We paid fees for Marquis and Whiteman but neither were in the first team at their respective clubs. I believe we paid a fee for James but he wasn’t wanted by Sunderland and was going to be third choice. 

Why ask the question when all you're boiling down to is a lack of ambition in your opinion. Don't skirt round it!

It’s not a loaded question. It’s not really been the way we operate and we’ve still been fairly successful over the last 15 years. There is more than one way to skin a cat.

[dickos1]

He was a first team regular and wanted by his club. They offered him a new deal so that he would stay with them.

He is now our player.

As I said it’s nothing to do with the original question which was the last player we’ve bought who was a regular.
We’ve signed plenty of free transfers who were previously playing regular for their club

[Chris Black come back]

He was a first team regular and wanted by his club. They offered him a new deal so that he would stay with them.

He is now our player.

But he was a free agent we did not buy him. Yes we will pay wages maybe a signing on fee but we did not pay  a transfer fee.

As you suggest, there would have been some element of an additional fee built in to his contract in order to secure him. Whether this went to the club or to the player, we have through the offer likely had to pay more than Rotherham we’re going to offer him in order to get him to come here. That is in essence a ‘fee’ we have paid due to him being out of contract.

[DonnyOsmond]

James Hayter and George Friend are good examples. Ross Etheridge is a less successful example.

Friend was signed from Wolves wasn’t he? Did he even play for them?

Exeter. And yes, I think he was their captain.

Was on loan at Exeter from Wolves.

[dickos1]

As is usually the case I don’t really understand your point.
But rather than turning another thread of tit for tat let’s just leave it there

[Glyn_Wigley]

How can you tell if a club still wanted a player when they were prepared to sell them to us?

[dickos1]

In some cases I guess you can,
I’m sure Bournemouth would’ve wanted to keep hayter, it was evident we would have loved to keep marquis, mills, wellens, Sharp etc