Harry Redknapp said earlier this month Queens Park Rangers' owners "had their pants pulled down" over the £6.8m they paid out in agents' fees. So how is it a club that could be relegated are close to luring two French internationals in Loïc Rémy and Yann M'Vila to Loftus Road?
Rémy, you may remember, was supposed to be joining Newcastle United two days ago. That deal was scuppered when, according a flurry of reports, QPR "blew them out of the water" with their offer to the Marseille striker.
Redknapp's interest in Rémy was no secret when he told the nation he was jetting off to France to watch him when he was Tottenham manager last season. West Ham United and Stoke City were both interested in the Frenchman in 2010 prior to his move to Marseille. Rémy even appeared on Sky Sports News after he was given a tour of the Potters' training ground while West Ham eventually bought Demba Ba five months later.
M'Vila, still at Rennes, is a curious one. Last year he was regarded as one of the most sought after defensive midfielders in Europe, who seemed fated for a move to Arsenal. And now...
'Bad boy'
He's had a few brushes with the French football authorities. In November he was banned from national team matches until June 2014 after an unauthorised night out while on under-21 duty and Rennes' former manager Guy Lacombe labelled the player a "loose cannon" while also questioning M'Vila's attitude and dedication.
Still, Manchester City paid over £20m for Mario Balotelli when he was a sandwich short of a picnic while at Internazionale and it took Michael Johnson two years to fully waste his potential. It is doubtful however that M'Vila - or Rémy - will stick around in the Championship.
Two Frenchmen in could mean one goes out. Another barmpot, Djibril Cissé is set to move to the Middle East on a six-month loan, say the Mirror.
Things may get worse for Newcastle if two of their better defensive performers leave as well. The Mirror this morning claim Tim Krul and Davide Santon are both interesting AC Milan.
Back to Milan?
Milan are in need of a new goalkeeper (Christian Abbiati is still their number one choice) and Krul is performing admirably despite the lack of protection in front of him. Santon, of course, was a treble winner with Milan's city rivals Inter in 2010.
Whereas the other Barcelona boys behaved themselves during routine contract negotiations, Victor Valdés has been a wee bit mischievous as he fails to reach an agreement.
The goalkeeper had made the odd remark suggesting he isn't fully appreciated at Camp Nou and that a move abroad would interest him. Quelle surprise, he is linked with Premier League clubs such as Liverpool, where Pepe Reina appears to be experiencing a steady regression.
2013 could be Marouane Fellaini's last in an Everton shirt, and the Sun suggest the Toffees are monitoring Toulouse midfielder Etienne Capoue, 24, who is rated at £10m. He would almost certainly be nicknamed 'Saint' if he did make the move.
Willian, it was really nothing, Tottenham fans may sing if the club finally buys the Shakhtar Donetsk attacker. And the Indy claim the Ukrainian side will consider selling him this month, but want around £20m for the 24-year-old.