Wanderers in the clear over Hamann and Manchester City transfer fiasco

"The full story never actually came out.

"What happened was Didi signed for us on a free transfer from Liverpool, came in, signed the papers, and then, for whatever reason, decided it wasn't for you and that you wanted to reconsider. We said to you ‘I'm sorry about that, but you've signed' but what you never realized was that we never actually countersigned the papers and just put them in the draw.

"The next thing we know, you came along and told us you'd got this opportunity to go to Manchester City so we actually sold you without actually signing you, did you know that? We got £400,000 from Manchester City for a player we never actually signed. And that's the truth."

That is what Bolton Wanderers chairman, Phil Gartside, told talkSPORT radio with Dietmar Hamann, the subject of the quote, in attendance in an interview with the radio station. Gartside was talking about the 2006 transfer of the former Liverpool player and Germany international to Bolton Wanderers that immediately saw the player change his mind and take Manchester City up on another offer. It was that offer that saw the Trotters pocket £400,000 for a player that never suited one for them and one that Gartside was adamant never actually belonged to Bolton.

The quotes were apparently not taken well by City and it resulted in an investigation by the Premier League to determine whether Bolton Wanderers could or should face actions based on any action based on whether or not there was wrongdoing committed intentionally or otherwise. In Bolton's current state, £400,000 is a relatively healthy sum and one that the cash-strapped Trotters could do with and one that they would hurt without.

The Premier League concluded their investigation with the finding that Bolton Wanderers had not done anything wrong. The League told the Guardian that "Dietmar Hamann was registered with the Premier League as a Bolton Wanderers player on 1 July 2006," indicating that all of the paperwork was completed to the extent that it needed to be and that Hamann was in fact a Bolton player at the time of his sale to Manchester City.

Whether there was truth in Gartside's story or if it was just that remains to be seen but for now, Bolton are in the clear.