A new claim has reportedly been issued in the London Commercial Court by an agent who alleges that he acted as an intermediary on Chelsea FC’s behalf in the transfer of a player by the name of Kurt Zouma to West Ham FC in August 2021. The agent has alleged he is owed commission in the sum of at least £300,000, based on if the transfer fee was above 30 million Euros. The transfer of Zouma to West Ham from Chelsea was reported to be worth up to 33.9 million Euros and so the agent states the commission is rightfully owed.
The pursuit of the agent’s claim stems from the conclusion of a trial whereby the agent was accused of sending a threatening email to a former Chelsea Director. The agent was recently cleared of the charge of sending an electronic communication with an intent to cause distress, after emailing the Chelsea Director in May 2022 over the payment of £300,000 he believed he was owed from the Zouma transfer.
The claim is in its early stages, and it will be interesting to see whether Chelsea FC lodge a defence or look to bring the matter to a swift conclusion by way of a settlement.
At Ellisons, we are seeing an influx of enquiries and subsequent claims involving business & commercial contracts. It is sometimes difficult for parties to interpret and understand the construction of certain contracts and how parties find themselves liable for payments, depending on their own or other parties’ performance (or non-performance) of specific provisions.
If you have a dispute regarding a contract and/or are owed money in accordance with a contract, please get in touch with a member of our Commercial Litigation Team who can advise you on your rights and best next steps.