Such third party ownership is banned in the Premier League but having flourished in South America it has become increasingly common and is perfectly legal across most of Europe, particularly in Spain and Portugal where investment funds have prospered. Clubs such as Atlético Madrid, Porto and Benfica have found it especially beneficial – anyone who thinks Atlético Madrid’s success last year was a tale of the plucky outsider overcoming the superpower of Real Madrid and Barcelona should pay more attention to how they signed so many top class players.