Cardiff City seeking help of Premier League clubs

Help us avoid Emiliano Sala payment: Cardiff seek Premier League clubs' advice on escaping £15m transfer fee


Daily Mail

16/02/19

Cardiff City have contacted other Premier League clubs in an attempt to establish whether there may be grounds to avoid paying the full £15million transfer fee being demanded by Nantes for Emiliano Sala, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Letters sent in the past few days by lawyers acting for the club request help in ‘fighting off Nantes’ legal claim’, according to one source. They ask clubs for assistance in ‘sharing your knowledge of Sala as a player’.

The correspondence from a Cardiff law firm describes Sala as ‘the player that Cardiff tried to sign’, phrasing which makes it clear that the club believe they may not have to pay all — or indeed any — of the record transfer fee.


Details of the letters — which Cardiff on Saturday confirmed were sent — emerged as manager Neil Warnock and chief executive Ken Choo arrived in Argentina for the player’s wake and funeral.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Cardiff’s decision to approach Premier League clubs publicly linked with Sala is partly motivated by transfer broker Willie McKay’s admission in an email to the striker that he had sought to artificially inflate the price. McKay told Sala he had told the media of rival interest ‘just to stimulate interest in you’.

The club are seeking to establish whether there was indeed any interest at all from other clubs. McKay’s email to Sala listed Everton and West Ham as clubs he had linked the player to, though Crystal Palace, Fulham, Burnley and Wolves were also reported to be keen.

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Reading that I think the club are going after the agents for manipulating the price.

It’s already come out that McKay was working for Nantes and Cardiff.

I think Cardiff will argue that his value was lower and pay that then get the agents to make up the shortfall.

Cardiff City seeking help of Premier League clubs over £15m Emiliano Sala transfer payment
By Liam Prenderville

The Bluebirds want to establish some of the facts behind the deal before they pay up to French side Nantes


Cardiff City are reportedly seeking the advice of other Premier League clubs to determine if they will have to pay Emiliano Sala's £15m transfer fee.

The Argentine striker was laid to rest in his homeland on Saturday after his body was found on board a private jet, just days after joining Cardiff from Nantes.


The French club have threatened legal action after Cardiff withheld the first payment of the £15m fee.

Cardiff have confirmed they are looking into the full facts of the deal and have vowed to do the right thing.

But the Mail on Sunday reports the Bluebirds have asked for the help of fellow Premier League sides to get to the bottom of the transfer.


It is claimed letters have been sent by lawyers acting for Cardiff, asking for their rivals to 'share their knowledge' of the player.


It comes after agent Willie McKay admitted in leaked e-mails to Sala that he had inflated his price by confirming there was interest from elsewhere.

In the letters sent by Cardiff, they allegedly refer to Sala as a player they 'tried to sign' - suggesting they feel they may not have to pay the entire £15m.


The Bluebirds are also said to have concerns over the number of agents involved in the transfer.

Reading that I think the club are going after the agents for manipulating the price.

It’s already come out that McKay was working for Nantes and Cardiff.

I think Cardiff will argue that his value was lower and pay that then get the agents to make up the shortfall.[/quote]



That’s what I think as well.

An I think the agents know that and that’s why all this bullshit is coming out about Warnock.

I think the club definitely intend to pay Nantes what the owed but nobody else.

I can understand City wanting to know the full facts before paying out and it does appear they might have been 'stitched up' over the price by the agent, Willie McKay

However, City agreed the deal and City signed the contract, so (to my mind) are obliged to pay what they owe to Nantes at least (and hopefully not a single penny to McKay

The club say "they will do the right thing" but are also threatening to sue Nantes for 'negligence'; perhaps as a counter to Nantes threat to Cardiff? (see also viewtopic.php?f=2&t=205156)

this is what player insurance is for.

this is what player insurance is for.

But player insurance only covers his price tag not the 14m owed in wages which someone as to pay .

this is what player insurance is for.

But player insurance only covers his price tag not the 14m owed in wages which someone as to pay .

I think that maybe a completely different issue, as (technically) the player has not fulfilled said contract?

The 'SirJimmySchoular' character may have an opinion on that?

Chris, I got told we could of had Sala originally for £5mill, but the agents started bumping the price up and offering him around, Don’t know how true this is ?

Chris, I got told we could of had Sala originally for £5mill, but the agents started bumping the price up and offering him around, Don’t know how true this us?

Annis, that would fall in line with our recent conversation

Seems too many people had their fingers in the pie...and maybe one of them didn't!

Impossible to even comment really without internal knowledge of the contract and agreement. He may not have been registered according to Mehmets recent statements. That could mean insurance doesn't apply or could mean the deal wasn't complete and no payment is due. It's a horrible situation but writing off that amount to simply maintain good PR would be weak management to be honest.

The real shame is that the whole process is being aired out distastefully by the media. Either way the club will be painted poorly for months until we come to one of two eventualities. The club will either be "forced" to pay and people will say they were dragged kicking and screaming, or they wont pay and people will say that they are run without morals.

Chris, I got told we could of had Sala originally for £5mill, but the agents started bumping the price up and offering him around, Don’t know how true this us?

Annis, that would fall in line with our recent conversation

Seems too many people had their fingers in the pie...and maybe one of them didn't!

That’s exactly Chris, too many we’re trying to earn out of this deal.

I back the club fully in what it is doing. £15m is a lot of money and at least some of it comes from our pocket in the form of gate money and merchandising. I agree with the above statement that it is just too much to write off simply for goodwill purposes.

Daily Mail



Letters sent in the past few days by lawyers acting for the club request help in ‘fighting off Nantes’ legal claim’, according to one source. They ask clubs for assistance in ‘sharing your knowledge of Sala as a player’.

The correspondence from a Cardiff law firm describes Sala as ‘the player that Cardiff tried to sign’, phrasing which makes it clear that the club believe they may not have to pay all — or indeed any — of the record transfer fee.

this is what player insurance is for.

But player insurance only covers his price tag not the 14m owed in wages which someone as to pay .

I think that maybe a completely different issue, as (technically) the player has not fulfilled said contract?

The 'SirJimmySchoular' character may have an opinion on that?

If the contract had been executed (and there is an argument over that) then most employers have a death in service cover insurance for such incidents. Not sure if this applies to professional footballers but you would think something was in place.

this is what player insurance is for.

But player insurance only covers his price tag not the 14m owed in wages which someone as to pay .

I think that maybe a completely different issue, as (technically) the player has not fulfilled said contract?

The 'SirJimmySchoular' character may have an opinion on that?

If the contract had been executed (and there is an argument over that) then most employers have a death in service cover insurance for such incidents. Not sure if this applies to professional footballers but you would think something was in place.

Yes they do mine covers up to 1 million death
Accident insurance up to £250000
Illness 6 months wages after 8 weeks

Chris, I got told we could of had Sala originally for £5mill, but the agents started bumping the price up and offering him around, Don’t know how true this is ?

it's common knowledge nowadays that clubs double, triple a price for premier league clubs - they are simple willing to pay more than anyone else in europe.

agent's are supposed to act not in the interests of the club, but the player. and saying someone else is interested is the oldest trick in the book as anyone who has bought a car or a house would know.

ultimately we don't know what's in the contract so it's all speculation at the moment.

Chris, I got told we could of had Sala originally for £5mill, but the agents started bumping the price up and offering him around, Don’t know how true this is ?

I believe you source, even if Cardiff do potentially look bad at present, think of how we will look in the long run if we set the ball rolling to change how agents operate.

It is purely fraud bumping the price up by pretending others are interested.

this is what player insurance is for.

But player insurance only covers his price tag not the 14m owed in wages which someone as to pay .

but that is what player insurance is for.....as well.

What a great shame this story came out today the weekend of Sala's funeral, I said at arsenal give it a few weeks and all the talk will be about money, Nantes demanding payment and Cardiff looking for loopholes to avoid this, not a young man who lost his life at such an early age RIP

Cardiff City ask Everton, West Ham and Crystal Palace for help over Emiliano Sala £15m transfer fee dispute


Media Wales / Daily Telegraph/Daily Mail

Monday 18th February 2019

Cardiff City have sent letters to other Premier League clubs to seek help in the Emiliano Sala legal transfer wrangle.

Nantes have demanded the first £5m down payment of the £15m record fee the Bluebirds agreed for the capture of the Argentine striker.

But Cardiff have frozen any payments whilst they conduct their own investigation into the matter.

The Bluebirds' inquiry includes letters sent to Everton, West Ham and Crystal Palace to ascertain whether that trio of Premier League rivals had any interest in signing Sala.

The move comes amid concerns that agent Willie McKay told Sala he had planted stories about interest from other clubs "in order to create an interest around you".

That news, which was revealed in an email leaked to the media, has become a key part of the Bluebirds' investigation.

Lawyers acting for the Welsh club sent letters to Everton, West Ham and Crystal Palace seeking clarification about whether they wanted Sala.

One club has already responded. The other two are expected to follow suit shortly.

Cardiff are anticipating the clubs confirming they had no interest in signing Sala.

Emiliano Sala's funeral was held in Argentina at the weekend, at his childhood football club. You can see the pictures as his friends, family and hometown turned out to say their goodbyes in the gallery below

The phrase "sharing your knowledge of Sala as a player" has been used by Cardiff's legal team in the letter, as well as the description of Sala as "the player that Cardiff tried to sign" according to a report in the Mail on Sunday .

The use of the word "tried" is significant. Cardiff still dispute that Sala was officially registered as their player and are questioning whether they are required to pay the full £15m transfer fee.

Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman is quoted in the Sunday Telegraph as saying: "We believe that the player was not registered with the Premier League."

Cardiff continue to seek more details of McKay's tie-up with Nantes and want to know why Sala was flown in such a small plane across the English Channel at night, as well as seeking confirmation about the qualifications of pilot David Ibbotson to make the trip.

The Bluebirds have emphasised they will do the right thing with regards the transfer fee, but want the facts set out before embarking upon the next course of action.

However, claims in another London newspaper about Cardiff potentially launching a negligence claim against Nantes this week are being denied by the Bluebirds.

Air accident investigators are due to publish an interim report into what happened by Thursday, February 21 - which takes us up to a month from when the plane initially vanished.

Emiliano Sala's body was recovered from underwater wreckage of the plane more than two weeks after the light aircraft disappeared near the Channel Islands. His funeral was held in Argentina on Saturday, while Mr Ibbotson remains unaccounted for .


Family members led the farewell which began with a wake at 7am in the gym of Sala’s soccer boyhood club, San Martín de Progreso, in the Argentinian province of Santa Fe.

Outside a banner read, Emi, nunca caminaras soloâ" meaning “Emi, you will never walk alone.”

Most of the village’s 3,500 inhabitants joined the footballer's family in saying goodbye to its most famous son, who grew up in nearby Cululu.

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Cardiff City ask Everton, West Ham and Crystal Palace for help over Emiliano Sala £15m transfer fee dispute


Media Wales / Daily Telegraph / Daily Mail

Monday 18th February 2019

Cardiff City have sent letters to other Premier League clubs to seek help in the Emiliano Sala legal transfer wrangle.

Nantes have demanded the first £5m down payment of the £15m record fee the Bluebirds agreed for the capture of the Argentine striker.

But Cardiff have frozen any payments whilst they conduct their own investigation into the matter.

The Bluebirds' inquiry includes letters sent to Everton, West Ham and Crystal Palace to ascertain whether that trio of Premier League rivals had any interest in signing Sala.

The move comes amid concerns that agent Willie McKay told Sala he had planted stories about interest from other clubs "in order to create an interest around you".

That news, which was revealed in an email leaked to the media, has become a key part of the Bluebirds' investigation.

Lawyers acting for the Welsh club sent letters to Everton, West Ham and Crystal Palace seeking clarification about whether they wanted Sala.

One club has already responded. The other two are expected to follow suit shortly.

Cardiff are anticipating the clubs confirming they had no interest in signing Sala.


The phrase "sharing your knowledge of Sala as a player" has been used by Cardiff's legal team in the letter, as well as the description of Sala as "the player that Cardiff tried to sign" according to a report in the Mail on Sunday .

The use of the word "tried" is significant. Cardiff still dispute that Sala was officially registered as their player and are questioning whether they are required to pay the full £15m transfer fee.

Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman is quoted in the Sunday Telegraph as saying: "We believe that the player was not registered with the Premier League."

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