Llambias “more than happy” to be probed on Barton deal (Updated)
Posted on September 14th, 2011 | 29 Comments |
According to the Sun newspaper (I know, I know), The FA have been “urged” to probe Barton’s transfer to the west London “Hoops”, more specifically, the issue of alleged fees paid to Barton’s agent, Willie McKay, and a mystery company brought in to represent Barton. There has even been specultion that this mystery company may even be Barton himself, or someone else very close to the player.
To explain: In this case according to the Stun, rather than McKay acting for Barton as his agent, as would usually be the case, he is alleged to have acted for Queen’s Park Rangers instead, with the above mentioned mystery company acting for Barton’s interests.
There fees were said to be £1.3m to McKay, and £1.2 million to the mystery company who acted as Barton’s representative. The newspaper also alleged that a £1.5 million signing on fee was paid to Barton himself on a four year contract with £40,000 per week salary. Beisdes this, it also said that Barton would be paid a £250,000 end of season bonus if QPR avoid relegation at the end of the season.
When grilled by a Stun reporter on the unconventional arrangement, McKay said of the deal:
“There’s a lot of people act for Joey, you know. He has a lot of people acting for him.”
Though in an earlier interview when Barton was still on the market, McKay gave the impression that he was the party who was acting for Barton, saying on the interest shown in the feisty midfielder:
“We’ve been inundated with interest.
“I’ve probably got the easiest job of any agent in the transfer window.”
Meanwhile, Llambias distanced himself from the Joey imbroglio. When he was quizzed, he “stressed” to the Stun:
“We are more than happy to be audited by the FA.”
Meanwhile, Queen’s Park Rangers manager, Neil Warnock, was said to be “shocked” by the revelations, when he heard of the sums involved in the player’s move, he “gasped”:
“No chance! No chance!”
However he then admitted that he knew nothing about the details of the exchange adding:
“All I know is he (Barton) was on a Bosman and he’s a lot cheaper than Scott Parker but I don’t know the details. I know nothing about it.”
When QPR’s chief executive, Peter Beard, was grilled on the matter, the Stun alleged that he “vehemently disputed the £2.5m figure, insisting it was way off the mark” and added that the club did not believe any rules have been broken. However the only thing they quoted from Beard was:
“I am not going to confirm any of the club’s private transactions.”
Finally, the Stun reported that the FA “doggedly refused to confirm or deny that the governing body had begun an inquiry into the transfer”, but quoted one the ever ubuquitous “source” as saying:
“The FA has been given certain details regarding the deal and on that basis we believe they will have no alternative but to investigate, to ensure all the rules have been fully complied with.”
Of course the issues of inflated agent’s fees in supposedly “free” transfers was previously raised by Mr Llambias, and also Alan Pardew when he “marked the card” of griping fans who were curious over how the Andy Carroll £35 million was being invested. They explained that free transfers such as Demba Ba and Sylvain Marveaux can cost more than they seem to. Firstly, Llambias said on the subject:
“I can assure everyone that not a single penny of the £35 million has left the club and neither will it. It is all going back in.
“We have acted early and we have got the players we wanted, but none of them have been cheap. We have paid good prices for them. They certainly weren’t free transfers, there are fees and wages to consider.”
And Pardew with considerably more verbosity, as is his wont, remarked to a fan in a phone-in on BBC Radio Newcastle:
“I was listening earlier when you was talking about the money being spent and I just want to sort of make something clear. When you sign someone like Demba Ba and someone like Marveaux there’s huge fees involved in that, it isn’t just tranfer fees. This is unfortunately how the Premier League works and alot of money in those deals doesn’t come back through the system. Ideally, in the old days we would sign someone from the Championship and it would go back into the English game but this money’s going out through agents and stuff like that. But we spent a fair amount this Summer on those three players in particular, more perhaps than the fans realise and I need to mark their card on that because if you’re going to start adding up the money and thinking ‘Oh we ain’t spent that £35 million’ you’re going to be way off the figures, you really are. Mike promised to put all that money back in, I know what the figures are, I know what we spent on the training ground and everything will go back into the club. We’re trying to locate one or two development players that cost perhaps more than you think as well. Now, I want to say that because I think Mike and Derek’s backing has been very strong this Summer and I’m very pleased with it so far. The noises we’re making on perhaps the last signing, or perhaps the last two are still very very good and it bodes well.”
Personally, to myself, this begs the question, and has for some time: Did Joey Barton and Willie Mckay engineer this move through his rambling about Ashley and Llambias on Twitta? (running an NUFC Blog can turn one into a very sad individual in time). After all, it would have been unlikely for Barton and his agents to have obtained such genoerous signing on fees etc if he had signed with a transfer fee attached, and he would have had to wait until the end of the season to become a free agent, and thus be able to negotiate similar “perks” on a deal.
Update
One aspect of this, which I missed, and the Independent newspaper didn’t in their later story is that IF McKay was working for the club and not for Joey Barton, then Barton won’t liable for any benefit-in-kind tax payment for his services.
Meanwhile, in an interview for “Talk Sport” radio, McKay spoke of the deal, claiming that the figures were not as high as as those quoted, and added:
“I regard Joey Barton as a £10m player. So whatever fee I got, working on behalf of Queen’s Park Rangers, was fair to say the least.”
NUFCBlog Author: workyticket
workyticket has written 1091 articles on this blog.
Probe him with what?