FOOTBALL fans have become accustomed to the last-minute drama of transfer deadline day as clubs and agents battle to beat the clock.
But it is also a fraught time for the backroom staff who make the deals happen, and the sports law team at Liverpool law firm Brabners Chaffe Street endured a busy transfer window, despite a fall in the value of deals done, advising on a number of high profile transfer deals, including several between the US and England.
These involved loan deals for Major League Soccer (MLS) players during their close season, such as LA Galaxy duo Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane’s loans to Everton and Aston Villa, respectively, Thierry Henry’s return to Arsenal from New York Red Bulls, and George John’s loan move from FC Dallas to West Ham United.
Brabners also advised Bolton Wanderers in its permanent signing of US defender Tim Ream from New York Red Bulls, which included obtaining a work permit on an appeal before the Football Association, as well as advising Queens Park Rangers on work permit and visa issues relating to its loan of Nigerian defender Taye Taiwo from AC Milan.
Deals between home-based clubs also came thick and fast and involved advising long-standing client Manchester United on its sales of Darron Gibson to Everton, Danny Drinkwater to Leicester City, Mame Biram Diouf to Hannover 96 in Germany, Ravel Morrison to West Ham, and on the loans of Joshua King and Federico Macheda to Hull City and Queens Park Rangers respectively.
Incoming deals for United included the signing of Swiss teenager Frederic Veseli from neighbours Manchester City.
Other highlights were advising on Gary Cahill’s transfer from Bolton Wanderers to Chelsea and the last-minute deadline day move of Nikica Jelavic to Everton from Glasgow Rangers and Steven Pienaar’s loan to Everton from Tottenham Hotspur.
The Brabners team also advised Everton on its disposals of Diniyar Bilyaletdinov to Spartak Moscow and Louis Saha to Tottenham.
The deals illustrate a fast expanding area of business for the Liverpool law firm and Matthew Bennett, a partner in the firm’s sports department, said: “The global nature of football means we are involved in transfer deals between clubs from all around the world and we have an ever increasing number of overseas clients who wish to retain us due to our experience in advising on international football transfers.
“As well as the normal domestic transfers, there has also been a growing trend in recent seasons of players coming to England on short term loans during the January window from clubs in different territories who are not playing at this time of year, including from the MLS in the US. This makes January a busy time for the firm.”
And the business of football carries on, regardless of the season’s two transfer windows.
Other cases involve representing Glasgow Celtic at European ruling body UEFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport in its legal dispute with Swiss club, FC Sion, to secure Celtic’s re-admission in the Europa League following Sion’s fielding of a number of ineligible players.
