10 Game-Changing Premier League Summer Transfers
3. Carlos Tevez/Javier Mascherano - Corinthians To West Ham (2006)
In the summer of 2006, no-one expected West Ham to sign Argentinian duo Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano from Corinthians - and that likely included the players themselves. But the biggest surprise about their transfers was just how complicated they would prove to be.
Tevez and Mascherano were owned by various third-party companies, who were run by an investment manager called Kia Joorabchian. Due to this complex, and rather dubious, arrangement, hardly any Premier League club expressed an interest in signing the pair when Joorabchian touted their availability in England. West Ham were willing to take the bait though.
Despite these high-profile signings, West Ham struggled that season and they stared relegation in the face heading into the last game. The Hammers survived though, thanks to a winning goal scored by Tevez; a goal which condemned Sheffield United to relegation. But due to the third-party ownership controversy, the Blades challenged the legality of Tevez playing in that final game.
West Ham eventually settled out of court, agreeing to pay Sheffield United £20 million over 5 years. The Premier League also fined West Ham £5.5 million for the deals, and subsequently clamped down on the practice of third-party ownership.