Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Paladini & Transfers
-
The Times
September 30, 2005
Chairman sees himself as agent for QPR revivalBy Alex Wade
".....
This week, fresh controversy surrounded the affable Italian. It has been alleged in the press that he is using QPR to line the pockets of various agent friends with deals that the club cannot afford. Typical is the suggestion that one recent acquisition — Marc Nygaard, on a free transfer from Brescia — is said to have resulted in a £60,000 payment to Brian Hassell, an agent.
Similarly, it is claimed that £40,000 was paid to Mel Eves, a Midlands-based, for the transfer of Ian Evatt.
“These allegations are stupid,” Paladini said. “They are made by people with no understanding of how football works. If they want to paint a picture of me as a crook, they should find something I have done wrong. In fact, I have done nothing wrong, and they have no idea what they’re talking about.”
The phone rings again, and it is Nygaard’s agent. The tall striker’s stock is high, with two goals in the past two matches, including a header against Millwall on Tuesday night. His agent is chasing payment. “The first payment is due, but I haven’t had a chance to sort it out. There has been so much chaos here,” Paladini said.
First payment? “Yes, the first payment — the deal was for four payments over the term of Nygaard’s contract.” So there was no £60,000 lump sum? “Not at all,” Paladini said, clearly exasperated. “Contracts are never done like that. The deal is for four payments and I haven’t paid a penny yet.”
This, according to Paladini, is how all the deals for which he has been responsible have been structured. He adds that he has overseen only three signings. “The others were all signed off by either the ex-chairman or the chief executive,” he said. “I am angry that I have been dragged through the mud like this. They have called me a thief with no evidence at all.
“What does it prove, that I know other agents? I have spent my life in football. If you a solicitor, you know other solicitors. I need to know all the agents in the game, and knowing them means I can do a better job for QPR. I understand how transfers work. Football is a business and you need to know this side of it as much as the passion.” The phone rings again, and afterwards Paladini is coy. He alludes to a deal, nearly complete, in which QPR’s £10 million debt to the Panama-based ABC corporation — arranged when the club came out of administration — is renegotiated. The ABC loan costs the club £1 million in interest each year, but Paladini hopes to cut this in half. ...
“People must think there is some kind of mafia involvement here, but I want the best for QPR and I’m putting together the right people to achieve this,” he said. “The moment I came here I felt an affinity for the club, its fans and its history, and I wanted to get involved. I want to be part of the team that takes QPR back to the Premier League.”
Between 1958 and 1967, Paladini was on Napoli’s books wearing the No 10 shirt that, thanks to Stan Bowles, Rodney Marsh and Tony Currie, has iconic status at Loftus Road. It would be some joy for him — and QPR fans — if this thread had more than merely symbolic resonance.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,435-1804566,00.html
QPR Official Site Q&A with Paladini
What is the truth behind the stories that you signed players over the head of Holloway?Jools
My background is an agent and I know many players. We couldn't afford many players in England so we looked abroad. I brought over Milanese, Nygaard and Ukah. Ian Holloway was able to look at them before they were signed.....
There are many Premiership London clubs with good players who can not make it into the first team. Why do they go to on loan to teams out of London when we should be getting them like we used to in the older days from teams like Chelsea and Arsenal.Wayne Butcher
We do try. But they have to be good enough to get into our first team. There's no point spending money on someone who is going to sit on the bench. We have already taken Matthew Hislop, Dominic Shimmin and Shabazz Baidoo from Arsenal.
http://www.qpr.premiumtv.co.uk/page/QA/0,,10373,00.html
QPRnetQ&A
QPRnet.com InterviewsTuesday 11th October 2005
QPRnet.com: Is there any budget left for Ian Holloway to strengthen the squad in January?
GP: We are targeting three or four players for next season and the best thing for Ian right now is to have all the players back from injury like Lomas, Doherty, Nygaard, Bircham, Gallen and Rose, that will be like new signings for him.
QPRnet.com: Without going into specifics is our playing budget reflective of our league position?
GP: We are increasing more on that side but we still have a budget to stick to. Our budget is nothing like Sheffield United for example. This year we have gone a little over the budget and we’re struggling in the league.
QPRnet.com: How important is it to you to develop our own players through the youth team department?
GP: It is the most important thing for me to see our own kids come through. We have about ten new ones we’d like to take on and we need to build for the future. We got Dominic Shimmin for ten thousand pounds and that’s nothing really because potentially he could be one of the best we got. I don’t mind investing in this area, I’d rather spend £200,000 brining in several young players than getting one 33 year old.
There are so many good players you can get and our contacts in the game help. For example Roberto Baggio was a client of Antonio’s so we tell him we’re looking for a tall striker and he recommends Marc Nygaard to us. Unfortunately he’s been injured but he’s 28, no transfer fee and whatever the agents fee is I think he’ll be worth it. Agents are here to stay, there’s no way you can run a decent football club without paying agents and anyone who thinks different doesn’t know football, you find me one player who doesn’t have an agent, they have them from the age of thirteen.
http://qprnet.com/interviews/paladini.shtml
Changeshttp://www.qpr.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10373~706682,00.html October 2005 - QPR 1st http://www.qpr1st.co.uk/documents/GandAminutes.docSeptember 2005 - QPR 1sthttp://www.qpr1st.co.uk/main/trustclubmeetsep2005.htmNovember 2005 - LSA Meeting with Club Representativeshttp://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/05novdec.htmlSeptember 2005 -LSA Meeting with Club Representativeshttp://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/05setpoct.htmlDecember 2005 - QPR 1st Recent Tax Billhttp://www.qpr1st.co.uk/main/newsarticle.asp?id=46
The Times
September 30, 2005
Chairman sees himself as agent for QPR revivalBy Alex Wade
".....
This week, fresh controversy surrounded the affable Italian. It has been alleged in the press that he is using QPR to line the pockets of various agent friends with deals that the club cannot afford. Typical is the suggestion that one recent acquisition — Marc Nygaard, on a free transfer from Brescia — is said to have resulted in a £60,000 payment to Brian Hassell, an agent.
Similarly, it is claimed that £40,000 was paid to Mel Eves, a Midlands-based, for the transfer of Ian Evatt.
“These allegations are stupid,” Paladini said. “They are made by people with no understanding of how football works. If they want to paint a picture of me as a crook, they should find something I have done wrong. In fact, I have done nothing wrong, and they have no idea what they’re talking about.”
The phone rings again, and it is Nygaard’s agent. The tall striker’s stock is high, with two goals in the past two matches, including a header against Millwall on Tuesday night. His agent is chasing payment. “The first payment is due, but I haven’t had a chance to sort it out. There has been so much chaos here,” Paladini said.
First payment? “Yes, the first payment — the deal was for four payments over the term of Nygaard’s contract.” So there was no £60,000 lump sum? “Not at all,” Paladini said, clearly exasperated. “Contracts are never done like that. The deal is for four payments and I haven’t paid a penny yet.”
This, according to Paladini, is how all the deals for which he has been responsible have been structured. He adds that he has overseen only three signings. “The others were all signed off by either the ex-chairman or the chief executive,” he said. “I am angry that I have been dragged through the mud like this. They have called me a thief with no evidence at all.
“What does it prove, that I know other agents? I have spent my life in football. If you a solicitor, you know other solicitors. I need to know all the agents in the game, and knowing them means I can do a better job for QPR. I understand how transfers work. Football is a business and you need to know this side of it as much as the passion.” The phone rings again, and afterwards Paladini is coy. He alludes to a deal, nearly complete, in which QPR’s £10 million debt to the Panama-based ABC corporation — arranged when the club came out of administration — is renegotiated. The ABC loan costs the club £1 million in interest each year, but Paladini hopes to cut this in half. ...
“People must think there is some kind of mafia involvement here, but I want the best for QPR and I’m putting together the right people to achieve this,” he said. “The moment I came here I felt an affinity for the club, its fans and its history, and I wanted to get involved. I want to be part of the team that takes QPR back to the Premier League.”
Between 1958 and 1967, Paladini was on Napoli’s books wearing the No 10 shirt that, thanks to Stan Bowles, Rodney Marsh and Tony Currie, has iconic status at Loftus Road. It would be some joy for him — and QPR fans — if this thread had more than merely symbolic resonance.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,435-1804566,00.html
QPR Official Site Q&A with Paladini
What is the truth behind the stories that you signed players over the head of Holloway?Jools
My background is an agent and I know many players. We couldn't afford many players in England so we looked abroad. I brought over Milanese, Nygaard and Ukah. Ian Holloway was able to look at them before they were signed.....
There are many Premiership London clubs with good players who can not make it into the first team. Why do they go to on loan to teams out of London when we should be getting them like we used to in the older days from teams like Chelsea and Arsenal.Wayne Butcher
We do try. But they have to be good enough to get into our first team. There's no point spending money on someone who is going to sit on the bench. We have already taken Matthew Hislop, Dominic Shimmin and Shabazz Baidoo from Arsenal.
http://www.qpr.premiumtv.co.uk/page/QA/0,,10373,00.html
QPRnetQ&A
QPRnet.com InterviewsTuesday 11th October 2005
QPRnet.com: Is there any budget left for Ian Holloway to strengthen the squad in January?
GP: We are targeting three or four players for next season and the best thing for Ian right now is to have all the players back from injury like Lomas, Doherty, Nygaard, Bircham, Gallen and Rose, that will be like new signings for him.
QPRnet.com: Without going into specifics is our playing budget reflective of our league position?
GP: We are increasing more on that side but we still have a budget to stick to. Our budget is nothing like Sheffield United for example. This year we have gone a little over the budget and we’re struggling in the league.
QPRnet.com: How important is it to you to develop our own players through the youth team department?
GP: It is the most important thing for me to see our own kids come through. We have about ten new ones we’d like to take on and we need to build for the future. We got Dominic Shimmin for ten thousand pounds and that’s nothing really because potentially he could be one of the best we got. I don’t mind investing in this area, I’d rather spend £200,000 brining in several young players than getting one 33 year old.
There are so many good players you can get and our contacts in the game help. For example Roberto Baggio was a client of Antonio’s so we tell him we’re looking for a tall striker and he recommends Marc Nygaard to us. Unfortunately he’s been injured but he’s 28, no transfer fee and whatever the agents fee is I think he’ll be worth it. Agents are here to stay, there’s no way you can run a decent football club without paying agents and anyone who thinks different doesn’t know football, you find me one player who doesn’t have an agent, they have them from the age of thirteen.
http://qprnet.com/interviews/paladini.shtml
Changeshttp://www.qpr.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/NewsDetail/0,,10373~706682,00.html October 2005 - QPR 1st http://www.qpr1st.co.uk/documents/GandAminutes.docSeptember 2005 - QPR 1sthttp://www.qpr1st.co.uk/main/trustclubmeetsep2005.htmNovember 2005 - LSA Meeting with Club Representativeshttp://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/05novdec.htmlSeptember 2005 -LSA Meeting with Club Representativeshttp://www.qpr-lsa.co.uk/05setpoct.htmlDecember 2005 - QPR 1st Recent Tax Billhttp://www.qpr1st.co.uk/main/newsarticle.asp?id=46
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