‘They’ve comforted agents’ – Stefan Borson drops Man City 115 charges verdict
Manchester City are confident in their 115 charges case after talks have been revealed at the Etihad Stadium.
Man City were dealt the charges by the Premier League in February 2023 for allegedly breaching the financial fair play (FFP) rules over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018.
They are alleged to have concealed payments through third parties by disguising them as sponsorship revenue.
An independent commission hearing started in September last year and ended in December, with the panel still considering its verdict.
There has so far been little information provided about when the decision could be revealed, leading to concerns among Premier League clubs about how long the case could drag on.
Erling Haaland agreed a record-breaking new contract until 2034 in January as he continues to show his commitment to Man City despite the charges.
In an interview with TIME magazine on 31 July, the Norway international revealed he spoke to club chiefs about the charges before penning his new deal.
“I spoke with the bosses, and in the end, I believe them,” said Haaland. “It’s such a tricky situation for me to even sit there and speak about, because I wasn’t really involved in it. So I think the club knows what they’re doing. They will sort it out.”
Man City signings have asked questions about 115 charges case
This article contains exclusive comment from Stefan Borson, a former financial adviser to Man City.
Pep Guardiola’s side have spent around £150million on new signings this summer, having added Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Marcus Bettinelli, Sverre Nypan and James Trafford to their squad.
The 10-time English champions also extended their partnership with Puma for a further 10 years last month, with the contract reportedly worth a minimum of £1billion.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “It’s obvious that each of the situations that they’ve had where they’ve signed players let’s say since January, I think there’s seven or eight, and then on top of that the Haaland situation, they must have had conversations with the agents or with the players on every occasion.
“I mean, there’s no possibility that a player has signed a five-year contract or whatever and just not asked about what has happened. So, they will have had the conversations and City will have comforted the agent or the player that was in line to sign.
“I don’t think that it’s fixed by them offering them a release clause or something like that. I think if there were a succession of quite unusual clauses in these contracts, I think it would have leaked out.
“I think it would have been the sort of thing that would have hit the press because not only in terms of the players that actually signed, but you would think that they would have had those conversations with other people who they were also talking to.
“It just would have been very easy for that to have come out for it to be a big story of City going around offering release clauses if they’re found liable for 115.
“So, I think we should assume that City have been playing a sort of confident approach in all of these negotiations. That’s with all of the players they’ve signed and the commercial deals they’ve signed. Of course, we know about the Puma situation.
“They are just expressing a lot of confidence with their position on the case.”
Tottenham set sights on signing Man City star
In terms of a potential exit at the Etihad, former Spurs scout Mick Brown told Football Insider Tottenham have set their sights on signing Jack Grealish.
Having now been cast out of Guardiola’s squad, there is no shortage of interest in the England international, but the finances involved are a potential stumbling block.
Grealish is believed to be on in excess of £300,000 a week at the Etihad, with his deal set to run until 2027.
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