Shakhtar chief Serhiy Palkin has lashed out at Tottenham over the transfer of Manor Solomon (Image: Getty)
Shakhtar Donetsk chief Serhiy Palkin has accused Tottenham of using the Ukraine war to their advantage by signing Manor Solomon on a free transfer last summer. The move materialised after FIFA passed a rule allowing non-Ukrainian nationals playing in the country to suspend their contracts.
Given that Solomon's deal only ran until the end of 2023, he was able to suspend his contract until it expired, denying Shakhtar the chance to recoup a fee for one of their most valuable players.
Spurs therefore got their hands on the 24-year-old without having to pay a penny. And though negotiations have taken place to try and find a compromise which satisfies all parties, Palkin branded the north London club's efforts 'disrespectful' and threatened to take legal action.
"I am feeling very bad towards Tottenham," he told The Telegraph. "I cannot believe this kind of club with a huge history – not just European level, world level – that they can behave like this. From my point of view, it’s not acceptable behaviour.
"They have taken advantage of the war. Maybe if this was a very small club in Europe with not much money or whatever, maybe I could understand it. But Tottenham? Tottenham. How is it possible?"
Palkin believes Solomon was worth just over £21million at this time of his move to the Premier League. The Shakhtar chief executive claims he was willing to forgo a compensation fee altogether and settle on a clause which would allow the club to bank a percentage of any future move.
Manor Solomon's debut Tottenham season was derailed by injury (Image: Getty)
He continued: "I even said to Tottenham: ‘Guys, I don’t need money for him now. Let’s have some kind of sell-on fee in the future like 30 or 40 per cent. That would be enough for us.’ But they said: ‘No, no, we cannot give you that. We’ll give you 10 per cent.’ I said: ‘Guys, that’s not serious.’ Giving us 10 per cent is not respectful."
Shakhtar have already taken Lyon to court after the French club received a loan fee for Mateus Tete in 2023, despite the Brazilian being contracted to Shakhtar at the time. Spurs could be met with similarly firm action.
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
"We are concentrating on a court case against Lyon and we will see the result of that," added Palkin. "After that we will make a decision about what kind of steps we will take against Tottenham."
Solomon made six appearances for Spurs last season before a devastating meniscus injury struck in October, ruling him out for the remainder of the campaign.
It remains to be seen whether the rift and potential legal action could affect Tottenham's pursuit of Shakhtar playmaker Georgiy Sudakov, who is understood to have admirers in north London and is expected to join a top European club this summer.
Express Sport have contacted Tottenham for comment.
