Liverpool mayor contacts police over Ross Barkley's transfer to Chelsea
Mayor Joe Anderson, a lifelong Everton fan, has expressed his contempt for the Barkley deal which saw the 24-year-old join Chelsea for £15m this month
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Your support makes all the difference.Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson contacted the police over the recent transfer of Ross Barkley from Everton to Chelsea, as revealed in a letter written by the outspoken politician to the heads of the Premier League and Football Association.
Anderson, a lifelong Everton fan, has expressed his contempt for the Barkley deal which saw the 24-year-old join Chelsea for £15m this month - £20m short of the initial £35m fee reportedly agreed between the two clubs last summer.
As such, the Liverpool mayor confirmed in a letter written to Greg Clarke, FA chairman, and Richard Scudamore, chief executive of the Premier League, that he had contacted the relevant policing authorities to investigate “whether any fraud has taken place”.
“I am so concerned about the circumstances surrounding this transfer that I am asking the appropriate police authorities to consider whether any fraud has taken place,” Anderson wrote in his letter, published today by the Liverpool Echo.
“As a politician - and someone who supports and rightly welcomes scrutiny under the Nolan Principles - I feel it is right that the public receive an assurance on this matter - and that transfers are monitored more closely.
“I hope we can count on the sport’s governing bodies to provide those.”
Anderson admitted that “the [original £35m] fee was believed by many, including myself, to be a good deal and was based on him having just a year left of his contract,” but took grievance with the final £15m deal.
“At best, this represents a very poor deal for Everton Football Club,” he said.
“At worst, it could be seen as a deliberate attempt to drive down a player’s value in the transfer market so as to benefit the player, his agent and the buying club.”
He suggested that the circumstances surrounding the transfer warrant “serious investigation”, adding that “there seems to be at least a public perception that collusion has taken place.”
He also asked that the relevant footballing authorities scrutinise the deal to “reassure fans that transfers will be monitored more closely in future and that no individuals are benefitting inappropriately.”
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