West Ham United have had to hand over £312,000 to Spanish heavyweights Atletico Madrid after selling midfielder Pedro Obiang to Sassuolo, according to Claret & Hugh.
The reliable Hammers news source revealed the extent of the finances involved in the sale of the 27-year-old, which was confirmed by the club on Wednesday.
The initial payment picked up by Manuel Pellegrini’s side is said to have totalled only £5.3million, with West Ham having to give Atletico a 5% FIFA solidarity payment for having Obiang as a youngster.
The Equatorial Guinea international was also due a payment of £500,000 from the Hammers, but the fee received by the club could rise to £7million with bonuses.
OPINION
Well, it doesn’t really seem as if the east London outfit have ended up picking up quite as much as we all expected. Obiang, despite some obvious deficiencies, is clearly better than a £5million player. He served the club well over the years and handled himself professionally. However, Claret & Hugh’s report states that he was desperate to return to Italy, where he previously played with Sampdoria, as was his wife who is pregnant. The Hammers weren’t prepared to stand in his way and, ultimately, respected his wishes and sanctioned his exit. Yes, it’s not as much money as the supporters were probably hoping for, but this was never going to be a big money sale. The player wanted to leave for personal reasons and the club have done the right thing by him and sanctioned his exit. It’s a shame that they had to give the money to Atletico and to Obiang as well, but that’s the way it goes in football these days.