EXCLUSIVE: Revealed - The £50m deals that angered Tan and cost Mackay his Cardiff job



Vincent Tan was angered by Malky Mackay's spending spree in the summer



Andreas Cornelius, who has yet to score for the club, could cost £10m



John Brayford, Peter Odemwingie and Gary Medel signings criticised



Sportsmail reveal image rights and agent fees part of the problem, too



Mackay and sacked head of recruitment Iain Moody defend investments



David Kerslake and Joe McBride will take charge for Saturday's game



Malky Mackay was fired as Cardiff manager on Friday as the full details of the club’s £50million summer spending spree emerged for the first time.

Cardiff chairman Vincent Tan sacked Mackay less than 24 hours after the 3-0 home defeat by Southampton in the Barclays Premier League.

The staggering amounts paid for players, which led to the deterioration of the relationship between Tan and Mackay, can be revealed, along with the massive signing-on fees, image rights deals and fees to agents.

VIDEO: Scroll down for Malky Mackay's last press conference as Cardiff manager

Sacked: Malky Mackay (above) was sacked as manager of Cardiff City by Vincent Tan (below), but Sportsmail can reveal the full extent of the summer that enraged the owner...



Waste of money? Andreas Cornelius (left) and John Brayford (right) are two of the signings that angered Tan

TIMELINE OF A CRISIS

April 16: Cardiff City are promoted to the Barclays Premier League. Vincent Tan initially promises a cash injection of £25million for new players but that sum is later increased to £35m. October 8: Mackay's head of recruitment, Iain Moody, who worked with him at Watford, is placed on gardening leave and then sacked. He is replaced by 23-year-old Alisher Apsalyamov, who attended the same Swiss school as one of Tan’s sons. Overspending in the summer is later given as the reason.

October 31: Kazakhstani Apsalyamov, who earlier in the summer had been painting parts of the stadium, stands down from his position as he did not have the correct visa.

December 16: Tan, via Cardiff CEO Simon Lim, releases a statement slamming Mackay for saying after a win over West Brom that, in an ideal world, he would three new signings in January. Lim says Tan is upset and that Mackay will not get a ‘single penny’ to spend. Lim says Cardiff overspent by £15m in the summer. December 16: Tan sends Mackay a long email criticising his signings, results and the team’s performances. It is understood this email made 27 points, culminating in an ultimatum: resign or be sacked. Mackay replied: ‘No, thank you.’

December 21: Mackay reiterates after losing to Liverpool that he will not resign from his job. He later revealed he expected to be sacked that weekend.

December 22: Chairman Mehmet Dalman, seen as a peace-broker in the saga, issues a club statement that says Mackay will stay as manager for the ‘foreseeable future’ after postponing a holiday to hold an emergency meeting with Tan in London. December 27: Mackay is sacked. RIATH AL-SAMARRAI

The signings include £10m on striker Andreas Cornelius, who has yet to score for the club, and more than £2m on full back John Brayford, who has yet to play in the Premier League.

In an extraordinary statement released on Friday, Tan accused Mackay of generating favourable media publicity and that ‘far too much dirty linen had been exposed to the public gaze’.

Sportsmail understands Tan is still furious with the overspending in the transfer market in the summer and the sums signed off for players who have not performed.

These deals also played a crucial role in October’s dismissal of head of recruitment Iain Moody. Cardiff’s billionaire backer said that he authorised £35m to be spent while Moody maintains that in meetings held in mid-April the sum agreed was £50m.



But Mackay insisted that he had done a good job. ‘As disappointing as today’s decision is, I am able to look back at my time at Cardiff with immense pride,’ he said.

‘A League Cup final followed by promotion to the Premier League for the first time, achieved as winners of the Championship, allowed the club a move back to this elite level after a 51-year absence.

‘I would like to thank everyone who has stood behind me resolutely, especially in these recent turbulent months. I hope that all of the progress that has been made so far will not be impaired in any way by today’s enforced changes.’

Among the signings which angered Tan was Cornelius.

The 20-year-old striker left FC Copenhagen, where he earned £6,000 a week, to sign a five-year contract at Cardiff worth £45,000 a week.

Cardiff paid a club-record £7.668m, possibly rising to £10.93m based on appearances. But he has come on just seven times as a substitute and played only 87 minutes of football since his move from the Danish champions. He has yet to score.

When Tan expressed surprise at the salary being paid to the untested Cornelius, he sought to impose a wage limit on new recruits, including midfielder Gary Medel.

Sevilla, who finished ninth in La Liga last season but who were struggling financially, sold Medel to Cardiff for £10m — though sources in Spain suggested Sevilla valued him at nearer £6m. The fee could rise to £15m, on appearances.

The deal was agreed by Moody when Sevilla arrived in Manchester for Rio Ferdinand’s testimonial at Old Trafford on August 9.

THE FOUR SIGNINGS THAT ANGERED CARDIFF'S OWNER TAN

ANDREAS CORNELIUS (Striker) Signed from FC Copenhagen for £7.668m, rising to £10.93m

Agent fees: £863,000

Signing-on fee: £1.25m

Salary at FC Copenhagen: £6,000 per week

Salary at Cardiff: £45,000 per week

Appearances: 7 GOALS: 0 PETER ODEMWINGIE (Striker) Signed from West Brom for £2.25m

Agent fees: £500,000

Salary at Cardiff: Approx. £35,000 per week

Appearances: 15 GOALS: 2

JOHN BRAYFORD (Defender) Signed from Derby for £1.75m, rising to £2.25m based on appearances

Agent fees: £281,000

Signing-on fee: £416,000

Salary at Cardiff: £18,000 per week

Appearances: 2 GARY MEDEL (Midfielder) Signed from Sevilla for £10m, rising to £15m

Agent fees: £800,000

Signing-on fee: £1.25m

Image rights deal: £1.6m

Salary at Cardiff: £35,000 per week

Appearances: 17



Malky's No 1 fan: This Cardiff supporter turned up at the stadium after Mackay was axed

VINCENT TAN'S STATEMENT

'There has been a good deal of publicity generated by and about Mr Malky Mackay over the last few months. Indeed far too much dirty linen has been exposed to the public gaze. 'But, I stress, not by me. Indeed, I have deliberately not responded to this, hoping that the Club can be judged on its football rather than personalised arguments about who said what to whom. 'I have, however, regretfully concluded that it is no longer fair to the Club, its players, its fans, or the public more generally, for this uncomfortable state of affairs to continue. Cardiff City Football Club means far too much to us all for it to be distracted by this.'

Medel, who has been one of Cardiff’s best players, is paid £35,000 a week and was given a £1.25m signing-on fee. He also has an image-rights contract worth £1.6m — even though Mackay refuses all interview requests for the player.

The agents involved in the deal will be paid £800,000 over the course of Medel’s four-year contract.

Among the other signings is full-back Brayford, who arrived from Championship side Derby County in the summer.

Cardiff paid £1.75m, plus £500,000 in additional clauses, to sign one of the most promising players in the Football League. Brayford, 25, was regarded so highly at Pride Park that they were reluctant to let him quit for less than £3m.

Eventually he signed for Cardiff in July. They will pay him £416,000 in signing-on fees over the course of his contract and the agent will pick up £281,000. Brayford, who is paid £18,000 a week, has not played in the top flight and wants to leave.

When Cardiff put together a package for Peter Odemwingie, Stoke City were also in the market. Moody and Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes agreed to make the same offer to West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace for the player and let him decide where he wanted to play his football. The offer was believed to be £2.25m, with the clubs agreeing to pay £500,000 in agents’ fees, which was split between two parties. Spurred on: Sportsmail can also reveal there is a clause in Steven Caulker's contract meaning Tottenham could profit from any further sale Sportsmail can also reveal a sell-on clause in defender Steven Caulker’s contract. Caulker was bought from Tottenham for £11m but, if they decide to sell him, Cardiff must pay 50 per cent of any transfer fee over £11m to Tottenham. Last week Moody began legal proceedings against Cardiff after chief executive Simon Lim released a statement claiming that ‘the overspending of £15m has greatly upset Tan Sri, resulting in the removal of Iain Moody as head of recruitment’.

Moody, who has since joined Crystal Palace, was in a position to negotiate with clubs, players and agents on behalf of the club but according to him the deals were always signed off by a senior club official.

There is nothing to suggest Moody or Mackay have done anything improper. In charge? CEO Simon Lim (left) is supposedly supposed to sign off transfer deals Sacked: Iain Moody was relieved of his duties as a authoritative figure behind the signings Anger: The fans are unhappy with Tan's treatment of manager Mackay and the decision to change the colour of the Cardiff kit from blue to red Waving goodbye: Mackay has defended himself after being ditched Mackay responded by saying in a statement to Sportsmail: ‘All football clubs at the elite level have systems in place for corporate governance. Cardiff City is no exception. A manager, even in the Premier League, does not go out and “sign” players.

'All recommendations go to his CEO and board. Essentially the chief executive on the board’s behalf, deals with all financial arrangements to finalise any signings.’ It is understood that the club have already undertaken a thorough financial audit, including an email trail, into Cardiff’s transfer business in the summer. These details are included in board minutes following Moody’s departure and have made it clear there is no financial impropriety or improper conduct. Moody maintains that his presentation for new players to Lim, the club’s chairman, was approved by Tan after they won promotion to the Premier League.

Cardiff are only one point above the drop zone after they slipped to a ninth defeat of the season at home to Southampton on Boxing Day. Mackay’s assistant David Kerslake is expected to take the team for Saturday’s match against Sunderland. Mackay’s dismissal comes just days after Tan sent his manager an email warning him he must ‘resign or be sacked’. Protests: Cardiff fans held a large protest on Boxing Day, and at Liverpool last week Support: Mackay was backed to the hilt by the Cardiff fans but find himself out of work Thumbs up: Mackay (right) and Tan in happier times and (below) with the Championship trophy After Mackay was fired, Tan said: ‘There has been a good deal of publicity generated by and about Mr Mackay over the last few months. Indeed far too much dirty linen has been exposed to the public gaze. But, I stress, not by me. ‘Indeed, I have deliberately not responded to this, hoping that the club can be judged on its football rather than personalised arguments about who said what to whom. I have, however, regretfully concluded that it is no longer fair to the club, its players, its fans, or the public more generally, for this uncomfortable state of affairs to continue. ‘Cardiff City Football Club means far too much to us all for it to be distracted by this.’ Yesterday Steve Borley, former chairman and now non-executive director at Cardiff, tweeted: ‘Spent all afternoon with him (Mackay) and the staff. Best manager in my lifetime’.



