Premier League clubs have no shame – they’ll plead poverty now then go and spend millions on new transfers

IN the week that Arsenal are pushing Mesut Ozil to take a £2.25million pay cut, the father of Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey claims his son is negotiating a £43m move to the Emirates.

Chelsea, currently seeking to shave ten percent off their annual wage bill, are being linked with a £75m bid for Barcelona misfit Philippe Coutinho.

Arsenal are said to be negotiating for Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey after announcing a pay cut at the clubCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Chelsea have been linked with a big-money swoop for Philippe CoutinhoCredit: AFP or licensors

Really? How does that possibly work?

Granted that both rumours might be nothing more than the usual fanciful nonsense which tends to circulate at this time of the year.

But in this particular year when football is teetering on the brink of a financial abyss, how can any club seriously contemplate embarking on a summer spending spree?

Teams simply cannot plead poverty one moment and then dive headlong into the transfer market the next.

Chelsea will argue that they are entitled to strengthen their squad because they haven’t spent anything for a year and sold Eden Hazard for £100m.

But if they are so flush with cash, why do the current squad need to take a pay cut?

Are they seriously being asked to chip in for their potential replacement?

West Ham, Southampton, Sheffield United and Watford have all agreed pay deferrals with their players.

So presumably none of them will be buying anyone if and when this season finally ends.

And the same surely goes for Spurs, Liverpool and Bournemouth, who hastily put their non-playing staff into furlough before being shamed into humiliating u-turns.

Which brings us to Newcastle, whose lowest-paid employees are still being bailed out by the taxpayer even as their supporters drool over the prospect of a Saudi-funded spending splurge.

Then there are those clubs in the fortunate position of being so wealthy that they don’t have to worry about paying the bills even during this financial meltdown.

Manchester United are clearly lining up the mother of all trolley dashes this summer and serial FFP dodgers Manchester City surely won’t be far behind them.

If football had any shame whatsoever it would announce a worldwide transfer ban this year, with only out of contract players being allowed to sign for a new club.

They could even consider the idea of introducing a pay cap to prevent clubs from living way beyond their means.

But that isn’t going to happen in a million years.

Because in a sport with no moral compass, the fortunate few will continue to live like Marie Antoinette even during a global crisis threatening to bankrupt millions.

So it’s good news for football’s super-rich but not so good for all those clubs whose star players are now ripe for the picking.

And anyone who seriously thinks that events of the past few weeks will change the game for ever is in for a nasty shock.

The Premier League have the opportunity to take an ethical stand by preventing the odious Mohammed bin Salman from completing his Newcastle takeover.

But it would seem their owners’ and directors’ test doesn’t take murdering henchmen or genocidal complicity into account.

So now it all comes down to the far more serious matter of TV piracy, a subject much closer to football’s greedy heart.

Qatari-based BeIN Sport claim their live feed is being pinched by Saudi-based beoutQ and now English football is being asked to take sides in this Arabian squabble.

And while Premier League clubs might not care too much about human rights or political repression, they sure as hell aren’t happy at missing out on broadcast revenue in the Middle East.

Like Al Capone being done for tax evasion, this could yet prove a way to slam the door in bin Salman’s face.

Harry Redknapp once claimed that football fans would cheer for Saddam Hussein if he helped their team win a few games.

And many Newcastle fans are currently proving his point with their unwavering support for their club’s potential new owner.

But apparently we’re not allowed to question the credentials of Prince Charmless unless we also examine the background of every other Premier League owner.

So in the interests of fairness let’s start with Delia Smith’s dodgy risotto and that time she was a bit pissed. What a disgrace.

Happy now Geordies?

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk