English football has been shaken to its foundations with the publication of the Lord Stevens report into top-flight bungs and transfers, with Chelsea, Newcastle and Bolton in the eye of the storm.

Five Premiership clubs have been named and shamed - among them double league champions in 2005 and 2006 Chelsea – for conducting transfers in an inappropriate manner. No fewer than 15 agents have also been named in the report, including the highly-regarded Israeli, Pini Zahavi, who has acted as agent in some of the most expensive transfer deals in history.

Five clubs - Chelsea, Bolton, Newcastle United, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth – have all been highlighted in the former Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s final report to the Premier League, which will now be forwarded to FIFA and the FA, who are likely to instigate further investigations into the transfers.

'But the startling news is that two managers, Sam Allardyce, formerly of Bolton and now in charge at Newcastle, and Graeme Souness, the former Newcastle manager, have actually been named as being of specific concern'


But the startling news is that two managers, Sam Allardyce, formerly of Bolton and now in charge at Newcastle, and Graeme Souness, the former Newcastle manager, have actually been named as being of specific concern.

Of the 17 transfers highlighted in the report, four concern Bolton. The players involved were Tal Ben Haim (now the subject of transfer speculation linking him with Chelsea), Ali Al-Habsi, Blessing Kaku and Julio Correia. One of Lord Stevens’s concerns is what he describes as a “conflict of interest” with his former agent son Craig when they were at the Reebok Stadium.

Stevens also refers in his report to the “inconsistencies in evidence” provided by former St James’ Park boss Souness and Kenneth Shepherd, son of the Magpies chairman Fredddy Shepherd who has just sold his shareholding to the club's new owner.

Three of Chelsea’s major signings, striker Didier Drogba, goalkeeper Petr Cech and midfielder-cum-defender Michael Essien, have also come under the Stevens microscope, but the report points out that Drogba and Cech cooperated fully with the inquiry bteam in providing full documentation in their possession.

Zahavi is accused of failing to co-operate fully with the inquiry and for failing to disclose his involvement in a number of transfers. But the biggest concern is that Zahavi refused to supply complete bank statements due to the “confidential nature of them.” It is thought that payments have been made to other parties.

Lord Stevens has recommended that football highest authority, FIFA, conduct their own inquiry into Zahavi’s conduct.

In his statement, Lord Stevens says that lessons have been learned and strict adherence to and enforcement of the recommendations should, in future, ensure that the game and the transfer system will be seen in a more transparent manner.

Clubs, players and fans are on trenterhooks.