Police to review allegations of corruption

Sam Allardyce was caught negotiating a deal worth £400,000 in order to help "businessmen" get around rules regarding third-party ownership of players, something which is illegal in English football and ultimately lost his job because of it.

Following this, the newspaper claimed that eight current and ex-Premier League managers had been involved in cases of corruption. The newspaper also reported that QPR manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink negotiated a £55,000 deal to bring players to his club, Barnsley assistant manager Tommy Wright accepted £5,000 to help players get to his side and that Leeds owner Massimo Cellino offered a businessman 20 per cent of the club in order to get around third-party ownership.

Now, an official criminal investigation will take place. A statement from the City of London Police's Economic Crime Directorate said: "Officers will be reviewing any available material with a view to establishing whether any criminal offences have been committed.

"At this stage no formal allegations of criminal activity have been received. The material will be reviewed and a further statement will be made in due course".