Despite all the denials and the lies from Fabian Barthez, Manchester United, Monaco, Martin Edwards, and all the other people involved in the transfer, Fabien Barthez has signed a six year contract with Manchester United. After two weeks of double bluffing, the transaction is finally complete.
However Manchester’s attitude towards Barthez is perfectly understandable. The Red Devils wanted to keep the transaction a secret until the last possible minute because if United’s players knew about the financial package the Frenchman had agreed, they would probably have gone on strike.
The amount of the transfer is about FF 130m (Ђ20m), which although being a world record amount for a goalkeeper, is quite normal in today's out-of-control football transfer market. However, Barthez’s salary is a different story. The goalkeeper will earn an astronomical FF 1.5m (Ђ229 000) per month after tax.
But Barthez also obtained a signing on bonus of around FFR 30-40m (£4.6-6.1m). That brings the total salary of Barthez at Manchester over six years to an astonishing FF 2m (Ђ305 000) per month after taxes, making him the Premier League’s most highly paid player, just behind his new teammate and Man Utd captain, Roy Keane
With the signing of Barthez, Martin Edwards has effectively totally abandoned his policy of equal wages for all Manchester’s players, and it is probable that the stars of the team will have to receive similar increases if they are not to move abroad.