By Sean Whetstone
Italian club Torino will be picking up 85 per cent of Hammer Nikola Vlassic’s reported £70,000 per week wages while on a season long loan Claret and Hugh understand.
They will pay around £3m this season to cover the majority of his wages but there will no additional loan fee or bonuses.
The Serie A club will have an option to buy Vlasic at €13m or about £11m but there is no obligation on that deal.
West Ham agreed a transfer fee of €26m (£22m) with CSKA Moscow for the Croatian attacker almost exactly 12 months.
It was due to paid over three years but Russian bank sanctions mean the Hammers have only paid one instalment of around £7.3m so far. Another instalment was due this month but while West Ham are prepared to pay, it is currently not possible.
The Irons will carry a financial liability on their accounts as it remains to be seen what could happen after the Ukraine conflict finishes and what role UEFA or FIFA could play in the aftermath.
Don’t get me wrong I love the good things that David Moyes has done for our club and would never denigrate that, but this signing has been disastrous for us. For me, it has brought man-management into the equation, when not playing a big signing regularly or in his position, but just stop-start sub appearances, just leaving him in the cold would dishearten anyone. To loan him out with a half price sell on option after 12 months is the road to financial ruin.