Cameron Defends Transfer Policy

Andrew Cameron appeared before the gathered press at a hastily arranged press conference at the Bernabeu Den with a pre-prepared statement in response to the allegations made in yesterday's Cloughite.

Firstly, I would like to clarify that the Madrid Lions are not a selling club. We have never been in the habit of selling our best players, and it is not a habit we wish to get into. The recent moves made in the transfer market may have raised one or two eyebrows, but they have been made with the full backing of the board.

The players who have been brought in have not been brought in as a profit making mechanism. There is no doubt that all four of the star players currently out on loan have a future at the club, and along with Gabriel Hauche, will in all likelihood form the backbone of our team for years to come. As the more economically minded will no doubt be aware, the world is in a recession, and the 'Clough Crunch' has really impacted on a lot of clubs. However, here at the Bernabeu Den, we are aware that this kind of market presents as many opportunities as it does pitfalls.

We have looked to exploit the market fully during this time, and have brought in players that are simply outwith our budget in normal market circumstances. Obviously we have the major stadium project to think about at present, and the players being loaned out is merely a short term measure to balance the books. Rest assured I have full confidence in the players who have remained at the club to hold our reputation within the UFFA, prior the surge we intend to make when the players return.

Mr. Cameron's statement failed to deny the rumours that these players were signed purely for the potential profit a future sale could see the club make, and furthermore indicated that the club could be looking to make further deals of a similar nature.

However, at this stage I am unable to guarantee that no more players will be making similar moves out, nor indeed that the players who are out on loan will return at the end of the season. These could very well become 42 day moves, purely for financial reasons. I would like to assure the fans that the club does not consider itself to be in financial jeopardy, and we fully expect to come out the other side of this recession a far stronger team.

After reading the statement the press officer informed those present that they would not be taking further questions on the matter.

Human Trafficing Scandal at The Madrid Lions

What do Fernando Gago, Jeremy Menez and Lionel Messi have in common? In the last three days Andrew Cameron's The Madrid Lions have signed these world class players in free agent wage auctions only to place them immediately on the loan list.

Messi spent just 3 days at The Bernabeu Den; a lifetime compared to the 12 minutes Fernando Gago spent at the club before being loaned out to White Rose; and it took just 2 minutes for Menez to be shipped out on loan to Strawberry Fields F.C. for the season.

Strawberry Fields F.C. manager Craig MacLean had this to say on the matter when contacted by the Cloughite:

I was made aware of Jeremy Menez' availability through his agent, the deal was set up and all I had to do was sign a piece of paper.

To bring him in for the 'Berries Premiership push was in my club's best interest; I don't know the reasons behind Madrid Lions signing him but we won't be lining their pockets with cash after the deal is through. I'm sure Jeremy wasn't too happy with the club's intentions either but he hasn't spoken to me on the matter.

All the evidence suggests that Mr. Cameron is gambling on the transfer market returning to it's previously inflated state at some point during these players contracts in the hope of then selling them at a substantial profit.

If The Madrid Lions were to sell these players in 42 days time, having successfully found two clubs to take the players on loan and play half of their wages for this period (thus being able to retain 100% of any profit from selling the players) it would take a transfer fee above £2m would see them make a profit on Menez and Gago and anything above £3.2m would see them profit from the Messi deal.

The FML Player's Union have expressed their concern at these kinds of deal, which have become all too common in the past week, but admitted that technically no UFFA rules have been broken leaving them powerless to act on the situation.