Back in 2003, not long after the arrival of Roman Abramovich at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea signed the Rumanian striker Adrain Mutu for some £15million from Italian side Parma. Althoguh he started brightly, form deteriorated and as new coach Jose Mourinho joined at the start of the 2004-5 season, he became an increasingly marginalised figure. One of the reasons for this became clear when he tested positive for cocaine use. He was sacked by the club for breach of contract, and the club began a long process to claim compensation for the a chunk of the fee paid for his services. Mutu signed a contract with Juventus in January 2005, but with their non-EU quota full at the time, a deal was struck with little Livorno, who signed the player on a free transfer - with an agreement for him to return to Turin, once the quota issue was resolved. The Rumanian never played a game for Livorno however, and made is debut for Juve in May of that year. A Swiss court has now stated that both Juventus and Livorno are liable to pay part of Chelseas compensation claim and have reached a figure based on the length of the players contract left, when he was dismissed from the club. Although the decision is made, its doubtful that anyone at Stamford Bridge will be expecting a cheque any time soon. These things have a way of dragging on, and the club may never see anything like the amount stipulated. Its a cautionary tale for clubs signing players of an unknown character and surely wont be lost on Mr Abramovich.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 11:41:34 +0000
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