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French financial chaos may start Hammers player hunt

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French clubs could be the most obvious target for bargain players this winter and summer following the collapse of huge TV deal.

With French clubs sinking into a financial abyss as a result there could be  some cracking players on the market at rock bottom prices.

It seems inevitable a fire sale twill be underway this January, cue inevitable speculation of a return of Dimitri Payet to West Ham, but it’s certainly an area for us to look at seriously when window speculation on French players appears.

Chinese owned broadcaster Mediapro agreed to pay Ligue 1 clubs €3.25bn over four seasons but failed to maintain payments for within four months.

Success-starved French clubs hoped they would be revitalised by a TV rights deal worth more than €1.15bn per year (€814m a year from Mediapro and €330m from BeIN Sports).

It was the second-largest TV deal in Europe, but the hopes rapidly died pushing French football to the brink of financial ruin.

There had been concerns about Mediapro from the start. When the rights were sold in 2018, critics pointed out that a similar deal with Serie A had fallen through because the Spanish broadcaster had not offered adequate financial guarantees.

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I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball,

I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh.

Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons!

Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter

0 comments

  • West Ham Fan No 32 says:

    There was a deal FAPL also wasnt there that they never made the payments ?

  • GaryD says:

    Too funny. Until it happens to EPL.
    Recent success with French players at the club? Diop, Haller, Payet in descending order.
    After a hundred years of war against them they learned nothing, attitude being so hard to change,

  • Steve nagle says:

    Players cost money Sean and every west ham fan except you and hugh. can see the two bob chancers dont want to spend a penny there milking this coronavirus more than the other 19 premier League clubs put together .

    • Yes of course you would be right. Sigh. If only you knew the real truth. This is not a forum for misinformed personal remarks and hatred. There’s plenty of those out there including ****ter. They will probably suit you better.

  • Loxy says:

    The return of Payet AND Arnoutavic. Who would have thought. Entertaining or what?

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