Blowing Bubbles

Everything feels a bit surreal, it's as if we're currently experiencing a glitch somewhere in spacetime. I awoke yesterday morning and turned on my computer to be greeted by the news that Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano had signed for West Ham United. I banged the side of the monitor and kicked the base unit to see if it was an electrical glitch but nothing changed, the writing on the screen continued to state that Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano had signed for West Ham United.

Somewhere between the hyperbole and the media glare lies the truth. The question on everybody's lips seems to be 'How did this happen?' Initial chatter amongst football fora pointed the finger at the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich but these conspiracy theories seem to fall short of the truth.

Media Sports Investment, the company which own Tevez and Mascherano's registrations are headed by Iranian businessman Kia Joorabchian. Joorabchian held preliminary talks earlier in the year with West Ham chairman Terry Brown and director Paul Aldridge with a view to investing in the East London club. The investment failed to materialise and the talks ground to a halt. All manner of theories relating to this deal can be found on the internet but the most frequently found one goes something like this:

MSI have been linked to Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, a man who resides in London, granted political asylum by the British government, after he escaped the former Soviet state where current President Vladimir Putin attempted to indict him on fraud charges. Berezovsky has strong links to Abramovich but it's difficult to see how the deals for the Argentines can be linked to the oil baron. In fact, Joorabchian has strenuously denied Mr Berezovsky has shares in MSI. Speaking to the BBC Kia Joorabchian said "There are a lot of rumours about Abramovich and other Russian investors but I can categorically tell you that none of those people are investors in MSI."

This evening it has emerged that West Ham are currently having 'exploratory discussions' with a view to a possible takeover. The details of these discussions are not yet known but Joorabchian had stated earlier that his MSI company were not interested in investing in European football with regards to owning clubs.

It must be an exciting time to be a West Ham supporter. The arrival of two of football's most exciting prospects is something Hammers fans are definitely not used to. It's a rather comical affair and I'm not sure what's funnier, whether it's Tevez at Upton Park or the idea of Marlon Harewood or Bobby 'I meant it' Zamora partnering Argentina's highly skilled forward. However, it remains to be seen whether the Argentine pairing will honour their four year deals or whether West Ham will be taken over by investors. Irrespective of whatever happens, right now, West Ham fans must be blowing bubbles.