West Ham have reportedly begun investigations in to whether they overpaid in the recent acquisition of Arthur Masuaku from Olympiakos. Reliable source Matt Lawton has reported that the club have sent a representative to Greece to find out more.
The Situation
West Ham signed Masuaku from Olympiakos in the summer, for a fee of around £6m. However there is now reason to believe that £1m of that fee went to someone not named on the official documentation. Given how careful Gold and Sullivan are with money, this is not something they’re too happy about.
FIFA and UEFA rules state that all recipients of money from transfers have to be named on documentation. This is in order to stop the big clubs naming a small fee for a transfer that has millions in hidden fees. It was reported to have happened in the Neymar transfer and some other moves, especially from Spanish clubs.
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Recent bans for hiding fees have seen both Madrid clubs banned from registering new players in the next two windows. But there is more to it at Olympiakos that peeked the board’s interest. The chairman is also under investigation for match fixing in the national league, and is said to owe money. Money trails not mentioned on the documentation therefore look very suspicious.
What will it mean for West Ham?
Right now? Nothing. It is likely to get rumble on for a bit, and at the moment no wrong doing has been proven. If it is then the club will receive the £1m back, and they may be able to claim some compensation. Someone at Olympiakos would have known about any illegality, and that opens up for claims.
It is not going to mean we suddenly become a huge spending club, and the Davids’ frugality is likely to continue. It has got us in a solid position, and therefore there’s no point changing it.
Keep your eyes peeled and watch out for any developments on this case.
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