Liverpool have completed the signing of Javier Mascherano
after buying him out his contract with private businessman Kia
Joorabchian.
But West Ham are still facing the threat of a points deduction for
what was described on Tuesday night as the "outrageous behaviour"
that led to the Argentina midfielder appearing for them earlier
this season.
After a month of careful deliberation between lawyers representing
Liverpool, the Premier League and Joorabchian, Mascherano has moved
to Anfield in a permanent 18-month deal that is rumoured to have
cost in the region of £10million and made Joorabchian a very
wealthy man.
Liverpool initially wanted to sign a player who excelled at the
World Cup but flopped at West Ham on loan. But when they realised
any such agreement would be in breach of Premier League rules - and
in particular rule U18 which forbids a third party having influence
over a player - manager Rafa Benitez had to turn to the club's new
American owners and urge them to invest in Mascherano.
A Premier League statement said: "The Premier League is satisfied
that the contractual arrangements proposed by Liverpool FC are
consistent with its rules; particularly that the relationship
between club and player is not subject to third-party
influence.
While Liverpool can now include Mascherano in their plans without
any fear of reprisals, West Ham will not have to wait long to
discover their fate. One senior football official has told
Sportsmail that they are still "in big trouble" after failing to
gain clarification from the Premier League before selecting
Mascherano and Carlos Tevez, who remains the property of
Joorabchian, in their side.
"It's pretty hard to see how it could be a more serious breach of
rule U18," said the source. "It would seem they have used a player
they should not have been able to register."
West Ham are expected to point to the fact that the club's previous
administration - in particular former chief executive Paul Aldridge
- were responsible for recruiting the two Argentina internationals
and they will also try to suggest that the Premier League did not
fully understand their own rules.
But an independent commission appointed to examine the issue may
dismiss those arguments, especially if there are any documents in
existence that reveal that the club's new Icelandic owners did not
question the arrangement with Joorabchian when they took
over.
For Mascherano, meanwhile, it is now all about impressing Benitez.
If Liverpool decide not to extend his deal beyond the initial 18
months, Joorabchian could be given the option of buying him
back.