With the West Ham United faithful already concerned about a sluggish start to the summer window, the prospect of a lengthy transfer ban is something a frustrated Premier League fanbase could obviously do without.
While West Ham are closing in on Burnley’s Josh Brownhill – the midfielder is expected to arrive at the London Stadium on a free transfer – progress has been few and far between regarding the club’s pursuit of other, more ambitious targets.
West Ham United appear no further along in their pursuit of a centre-forward.
And while the Hammers have held talks over Southampton’s Aaron Ramsdale, the suggestion is that Graham Potter’s side must raise funds before they consider triggering the £25 million release clause in the goalkeeper’s contract.
According to reports coming out of Russia, meanwhile, West Ham will now be forced to fork out £7.2 million – not for a player on his way to the London Stadium, but one who said his goodbyes to the Premier League all the way back in 2023.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty ImagesWest Ham United ordered to pay £7.2 million in Nikola Vlasic saga
The Athletic reported last year that West Ham still owe an outstanding payment to CSKA Moscow following the £25 million deal which brought Nikola Vlasic to the English capital four years ago.
CSKA’s chief executive has accused West Ham of ‘ignoring’ such an obligation, too, as they look to draw a line under a saga which has rumbled on for far longer than the Russian giants would have liked.
Now, after the case was heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Russian publication Sport 24 report that the CAS have decided to ‘partially uphold West Ham’s appeal’.
The Hammers have been ordered to pay CSKA a sum of £7.2 million, with interest. However, for the payment to be made, West Ham must first receive permission from the UK government after sanctions were placed on doing deals with Russian-based clubs following the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict.
Sport 24 add that, if West Ham do not pay the fee within the next 45 days, they could be hit with a transfer ban for the next three windows.
Russian Premier League giants CSKA Moscow slam CAS ruling
A clearly unimpressed CSKA Moscow have once again wasted little time airing their grievances following that CAS ruling.
“PFC CSKA is extremely disappointed with the decision made and is convinced that it is dictated solely by the political agenda,” reads a club statement provided via Sport 24. “This decision causes nothing but categorical misunderstanding and is essentially an indefinite instalment plan for the English club.”
CSKA claim that, while they are now obligated to pay that £7.2 million sum over the next month and a half, CAS’ ruling will not force West Ham to obtain an OFSI license from a British treasury responsible for those aforementioned sanctions.
Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images
“It is impossible not to note the obvious double standards,” the statement adds. “Earlier, in the dispute between our club and Heerenveen, CAS ordered PFC CSKA to pay the Dutch club the full amount and a penalty from the date the obligation to pay arose.
“At the same time, in the case between West Ham and PFC CSKA, a diametrically opposite decision was made. It is impossible to understand the actions of CAS.
“We were initially prepared for all the difficulties imposed by political pressure. However, the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport is not only disappointing in itself, but makes us think about the possibility of achieving objectivity in the current geopolitical situation.
“PFC CSKA does not accept the CAS decision and is considering the possibility of transferring the case to the Swiss Federal Tribunal.”
It feels unlikely that this is the last West Ham have heard of this Nikola Vlasic saga.