Hammers borrow against Haller money

Papers filed at Companies House yesterday reveal that West Ham have borrowed against money owed to them over the Seb Haller transfer to Ajax.

The registration of a charge in favor of the London branch of Australian bank Macquarie. West Ham sold Haller last year for £20.2m but the money is scheduled to be paid in instalments. This loan gives them the remaining money upfront.

Macquarie Group Limited is a growing influence on English football, underlined by Leicester and Wolves extending sizeable loans with the Australian investment bank that are mortgaged against future TV earnings last year.

Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough, Sheffield United, Southampton, Swansea City, Watford and West Brom have also borrowed money, from a company estimated to manage almost £288bn worth of assets has emerged as the second-biggest lender to English football, behind Barclays bank.

Haller joined West Ham for a club-record £45m in 2019 from Frankfurt but the fee was to be repaid in instalments. Eintracht  Frankfurt later sold their debt on to MSD holdings which West Ham also later entered into a £120m revolving credit over five years. The firm is owned by US computer billionaire Michael Dell and his family. The latest revelation reveals the financial impact COVID continues to have on English football.