The real owners of Jonathan Calleri

The Argentine striker is not owned by a football club, but a Tevez-esque investment fund.

Argentine striker Jonathan Calleri has joined West Ham with relatively little fanfare - but as word of his talent spreads, so does the mystery of his move deepen.

Sao Paolo, Deportivo Maldonado, Boca Juniors or someone different altogether?

The official West Ham site felt confident enough to release that the club had agreed to ‘sign Argentine striker Jonathan Calleri from Sao Paolo’ back in mid-July, so this move has been firm for some time.

With the Hammers saying they had got their man from Sao Paolo back then, the official announcement of Calleri’s signing now says he plays for Uruguayan second-division club Deportivo Maldonado, and was in fact on loan at Sao Paolo. Now a club insider has told the reliable ClaretAndHugh that ‘Boca wouldn’t go there at all’ on an eventual buyout price. That’s Argentinian side Boca Juniors - who Calleri undoubtedly played for but not since 2015.

So what’s going on here? It’s all very confusing but seems to hark back to an issue West Ham fans will be more familiar with than most - third-party ownership.

On transfer deadline day 2006, West Ham pulled off a major coup by signing Argentina World Cup stars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.

Fans around the world were left scratching their heads with regards to how they had pulled it off. Eventually it turned out Kia Joorabchian, an Iranian businessman interested in purchasing West Ham, actually owned the economic rights of the pair through various businesses, namely Media Sports Investment (MSI).

Whilst a familiar practice in South America, it was not so accepted in the Premier League and a protracted legal wrangle ensued, eventually leading to West Ham being fined a record £5.5 million for failing to reveal the full terms of ownership of the players. Whilst Tevez became a club legend after leading a great escape from relegation, the Hammers didn’t get a transfer fee when he moved to Manchester United, nor did they get anything when Mascherano transferred to Liverpool.

Eight years after departing West Ham, Tevez was back at boyhood club Boca playing up front with 22 year-old Jonathan Calleri, who netted 16 times in 41 starts for the Buenos Aires outfit. A decent record for a player his age - but there was more to come.

"the Hammers have him on loan from second-division Uruguayan club [...] who he has never played a game for "

Most recently, in the 2016 Copa Libertadores, Calleri was top scorer for semi-finalists Sao Paulo with nine goals. That’s no small feat. The Copa Libertadores is the South American version of the Champions League, featuring the best teams from Colombia, Argentina and Brazil.

As mentioned above, most outlets now report that the Hammers have him on loan from second-division Uruguayan club Deportivo Maldonado - who he has never played a game for and who would never realistically have had a chance of persuading him to.

"Inter were scared off by this deal"

So how did this happen? Six months ago, when Inter Milan were on the brink of signing Calleri and loaning him out to fellow Italian club Bologna, a mysterious third party club swooped in and bought Calleri. They registered him with Maldonado who are apparently a specialist club in transferring players from the Americas to Europe in a way which reduces how much those involved will have to pay in tax.

It seems Inter were scared off by this deal as they suddenly left the picture when a move was assumed imminent. Word has it that Barcelona were also sniffing around Calleri very recently, but West Ham managed to beat them to the signing too. Even as a West Ham fan, it’s pretty obvious that these clubs are attractive options. So was it just the fact that the deal was so unclear that these giants were frightened to do it in the same way Manchester United apparently turned down Tevez and Mascherano before they moved to East London?

"an investment fund in a transfer is against the FIFA rules"

Calleri’s real owners are said to be Stellar Group. Jonathan Barrett owns the player consultancy company and represents the likes of Gareth Bale, Luke Shaw and Joe Hart. Barrett featured in the Daily Telegraph’s 20 most powerful football agents in European football. With a pedigree like that, you’d imagine he knows what he’s doing, but one thing is for sure, and that’s that the presence of an investment fund in a transfer is against the FIFA rules.

Unlike first thought, this deal is evidently not as straightforward as Manuel Lanzini’s, who signed for West Ham after impressing during a loan spell in one of David Sullivan’s preferred ‘try before you buy’ transactions. If Calleri impresses like Slaven Bilic has indicated he could, there could be a really complex transfer chase for him and who knows where West Ham would feature in that.

With his international clearance still on hold, it’s possible details of his ownership will become a little clearer, but of all clubs, West Ham will know best to tread carefully.

Follow me on Twitter @RichMaher93

10 things to ask Big Sam Allardyce

You’re at the pub one evening and as you stroll up to the bar, you notice the unmistakeable figure of Sam Allardyce himself sitting on a stool with his sixth pint in hand. Now’s your chance to ask him some real questions off the record, with which he can be completely open without the fear of it covering the back-page of The Sun the following day. Here are ten suggestions…

1. What do you really make of the West Ham fans?

There is still very much a strong group of vocal fans who reject Allardyce as our boss because of his ‘long-ball’, physical tactics and incompatibility with playing ‘the West Ham way’, so it would be interesting to hear if the fact that he has not been fully accepted affects Allardyce. Additionally, his team have performed better away from home and have been subject to boos at Upton Park on more than one occasion; so does Allardyce see the fans as a ‘claret and blue army’, or a thorn in his side who continually criticise him and create a hostile atmosphere for his team?

2. Was it a difficult decision to join West Ham?

There’s no doubt that the Hammers are a sizeable club and provided a great opportunity for Allardyce, but was he concerned about the pressure which would be placed on him to catapult them back into the Premier League at the first time of asking? Also, was he a little bitter about not being chosen to replace Avram Grant in January of last year, having been overlooked whilst Martin O’Neill was available?

3. How is it working with David Sullivan, David Gold and Karren Brady?

We’re sure that Allardyce would’ve been a little sceptical about working with these three after their regular media outbursts prior to his arrival, however it seems that they have toned things down since he joined, suggesting that this was a request when he signed his contract. So how has it been ever since? Are they good to deal with in terms of transfers and have there been any disagreements?

4. Who’s our best player?

It would be interesting to hear from Allardyce, who has been a manager since 1991 and watches the players in training every day, who he genuinely believes is our best player. There is certainly a strong affinity between him and Kevin Nolan but it’s probable that he would go for someone else; perhaps Abdoulaye Faye, James Tomkins or Mark Noble? Or could it be a shock candidate?

5. Did you think Carlton Cole would be better than he is?

When Allardyce signed for West Ham, he was probably rubbing his hands together at the prospect of a 6’ 3”, 12st 3lb, England international striker at his disposal in the second tier of English football who would seemingly fit in perfectly with Allardyce’s system which regularly features a target-man. However, although he has scored a few goals, he has failed to set the world alight, so do you think Allardyce is a little disappointed by him?

6. What do you see in Jack Collison?

Collison started his West Ham career with a string of impressive performances which suggested he had great potential. However, since a long-term injury, he has had a tendency to appear rather ineffectual in games and often pulls out of challenges. Despite seemingly offering little to nothing, Allardyce consistently chooses him, so what do you see in him Sam and how far do you realistically think he can go?

7. Do you have concerns about Ravel Morrison’s personality?

It seems that Morrison is a highly-regarded young player with enormous potential, and that is certainly why Allardyce decided to sign him. But it would be interesting to hear if this was a difficult decision due to concerns about his previous convictions and whether Allardyce feared he could unsettle the camp. Also, how long until we see him in the first-team?

8. How far can Mark Noble go?

We have all been impressed with Noble this season and he definitely holds a place in our hearts with regards to his commitment to West Ham United, but it would be interesting to listen to someone who has been involved in the game for as long as Allardyce talk about how good he really thinks Noble is. The England national team is a long way off as it currently stands, but could it ever happen for Noble?

9. Have you had any disappointing transfer failings since your time at West Ham?

We’re all aware that West Ham made enquiries about Carlos Tevez and Fernando Torres in January; however I think it’s fair to say that these were always cheeky, unrealistic ventures which were never expected to come off. But has there been anyone who Allardyce hasn’t managed to get who he expected to and wanted to improve our squad? El-Hadji Diouf may have been frustratingly blocked due to fan-power, but is there anyone else he has missed out on and who does he blame for the move not coming to fruition?

10. How far do you believe you can take West Ham?

Allardyce has always been confident in his own ability, previously declaring “I would be suited to Inter or Real Madrid”, so how far does he really think he can take West Ham and how long does he plan to stay? We know that he is ambitious and we saw him take Bolton into Europe, so does he see that as the aim at West Ham, and is he excited about our future under him? Could this be the job which makes him a managerial icon?

It would certainly make for an interesting chat, but it’s unlikely that we will ever know the answers to these questions whilst he remains at the helm of the club. But keep them in mind just in case you bump into the big man after a few too many one night. His answers could lead him to develop a much better connection with the West Ham faithful, or alternatively alienate him further in an already strained relationship.

Follow me on Twitter @RichMaher93