Commerce City, Colo. – Colorado Rapids center back Lucas Herrington has officially transferred to Hull City. The MLS side confirmed the club record sale Wednesday afternoon. Herrington joins Hull the week before the start of the English Premier League season as a promoted club.
The transfer fee is a record for Colorado, more than double the fee paid for MoĂŻse Bombito two years ago. Burgundy Wave can confirm Tom Bogert’s report that the transfer fee is $17 million up front, plus $6 million in add-ons, and a 15% sell-on clause. Various reports from The Athletic and Give Me Sports had reported numbers ranging from $25 million to $17 million with varying add-on amounts and sell-on clauses. This was over the past week when Hull’s interest was initially reported.
“When I landed in Colorado in January, I had left Australia for the first time to come across the world and chase a dream. The Rapids and their fans took a chance on me and made me feel at home from day one,” said Herrington.
“To the fans; thank you for embracing a kid from Brisbane as one of your own. Colorado has given me so much, and I’ll always be proud to have been a Rapid. I’m excited for what comes next, but I’ll never forget my time here. Thank you.”
“He has the talent and the character to go to the highest levels, and I mean the highest levels,” President Pádraig Smith said. “We would have liked to have Lucas around for a bit longer. Sometimes players just explode and show they are ready for something else.”
From Teenage Unknown to World Cup to Premier League:
Herrington’s talent and potential were instantly apparent in preseason. He ends his Rapids career playing 20 of a possible 21 matches. He started all but one of those games. He played the first half of the MLS All-Star game last month.
The 18-year-old has been a spectacular defender, good on the ball, and unfazed by the moment. In one week, he played Lionel Messi, Son Heung-min, and Thomas MĂĽller and did not look out of place. Ironically, his worst strength might be his aerial play and physicality. A year in a Premier League fitness program will do him some good.
The Australian’s meteoric rise led to a senior call-up with the Socceroos in March. He started both matches, playing 90 minutes against Cameroon and the first half against Curacao. He was named Man of the Match for the Cameroon game. His form earned him an invite to camp before the World Cup. He made the roster having played 89 minutes in a warmup friendly against Mexico.
The rock melon enthusiast got his World Cup debut in a 0-0 draw against Paraguay after being an unused sub in the first two matches. Australia clinched second on Group D. Herrington played 120 minutes against Egypt then missed a penalty in the shootout to go out in the Round of 32.
He was the youngest MLS player and Australian to ever play at the World Cup. Regardless of the penalty miss, the World Cup put Herrington on the map for European scouts.
Read More: Lucas Herrington will be remembered for missing a penalty at the World Cup. For only good reasons.
What it Means for Hull City:
The move makes sense for all parties. Herrington had previous interest from Barcelona and Liverpool. If Twitter is to be believed, half of the Champions League was scouting him. The player and his agent chose Colorado Rapids last summer because it was an opportunity to play first team football. His European offers were going to have him go on loan or play for the second team.
There’s a clear path for him to play regularly for Hull this year, unlike Liverpool and Barcelona. The Tigers have four central defenders on their roster. Five with Herrington. They look to be playing a back four this season. If reported transfer fees are to be believed, Herrington is the second biggest signing of the summer for the club, after goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis. They don’t make this signing if they think he’ll be on the bench.
Herrington should get minutes. If they get relegated, he will be a major piece of their push for automatic promotion in 2027-28. Or he’ll play well enough that another team will buy him off Hull at a profit. If Hull stay up, he’ll be well worth the expense. And his value will increase. Even if he struggles and they go down, it’s hard to see how this deal doesn’t work out in the long run for Hull financially.
Hull have their final preseason game August 8 and kickoff the Premier League season August 15. That preseason match fittingly is against OGC Nice and MoĂŻse Bombito.
Herrington has to become one of the most prominent national team players back home in terms of club pedigree. He’s in position to be one of the best players for the Socceroos over the coming World Cup cycle. Everything’s looking up for the player.
“They were aggressive. Lucas felt it was right for him, to go to that level and test himself in the Premier League,” said Smith.
The Rapids Perspective: Pathways and Cash Injection
The Rapids getting 15% of that sale only makes this worthwhile deal more lucrative. It is a bit disappointing that the final price appears lower than what was previously reported. But $17 million is still at or above the ‘can’t say no’ price of the player. This deal shatters the club record transfer fees for MoĂŻse Bombito ($7.7 million plus add ons) and Djordje Mihailović ($8 million). It could triple these deals in the long run with the sell-on.
The deal looks even better given earlier this year, Colorado bought out Brisbane Roar’s sell-on clause. It was believed to be 20% and was sold for $560,000 AUD, equivalent to around $400,000 USD. That will save Colorado $3 mill USD up front and could be worth +$4 mill depending on add-ons and Colorado’s sell-on clause with Hull.
That’s Smith’s best Rapids Math ever. The only better move in club history is the trade with RSL for a permanent International Roster Slot. Infinite money glitch, thy name is Pids. Now they need to reinvest it well. That’s usually been the hard part for the club. Colorado was linked to three wingers based in Europe over the last week, with a valuation of $5-8 million.
Sign 2-3 players. Replace the scoreboard. Maybe win the Open Cup. That seems worth losing Herrington. His time in Burgundy and Blue was short, but what a seven months it turned out to be.
“Identifying, recruiting, and developing the best young talent, locally, nationally and internationally, is a key part of our club strategy. Our ambition is to help them make an impact and win here in MLS, while creating an environment in which, they can reach their full potential. Lucas is a wonderful example of that approach, and we wish him every success at Hull City,” Smith said in the club announcement.
This is proof Colorado’s scouting department can find talent before they accelerate. They’ve had big swings and big hits. Still for every Bombito or Herrington there’s a South American signing or a draft pick that ends up being below average. The club is still doing a good job of selling the project to young talent, convincing them to sign.
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Eamon Shaw 