Sam Allardyce could face second FA investigation after alleged payment in Ravel Morrison's West Ham transfer

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Sam Allardyce could face a second investigation after it emerged that Cardiff City discovered evidence of unexplained payments regarding the loan move of Ravel Morrison from West Ham in 2014, when Allardyce was still manager of the Premier League club.

The Telegraph reports that Cardiff launched their own investigation into the move after questions were raised over fees relating to Morrison’s loan switch two years ago. The concerns were not reported to the Football Association – which is a breach of FA rules – nor the police, but the Championship club have confirmed that an investigation did take place at the time.

An agent is alleged to have told the club that a payment had been agreed with Allardyce, with the report adding that the agent in question is believed to be disgraced Italian Pino Pagliara. The football agent is banned from any football-related activity after his involvement in the Genoa-Vincenzi scandal of 2005, but he is believed to use intermediaries to conduct his business.

The report claims that despite the investigation, Cardiff failed to put the allegation to Allardyce. A Cardiff spokesman confirmed to The Telegraph: “Mr Pagliara was not paid by the club. We investigated the matter thoroughly.”

Morrison, who now plays for Italian side Lazio, was involved in a previous alleged conflict with Allardyce and his agent, Mark Curtis, when Allardyce was said to have put pressure on the midfielder to sign up with the football agent.

When Morrison refused to do so, Allardyce is alleged to have dropped him from the West Ham team, with insiders claiming that his decision to leave Morrison out of the club’s first-team plans had nothing to do with performances.

The financial arrangements regarding Morrison’s move to Cardiff prompted a club official to launch an investigation, with a conversation between the official and Mr Pagliara being relayed to the Cardiff City board where the allegation of a payment was made. Cardiff then employed an external company to investigate the matter, though The Telegraph adds that there was not any evidence of the alleged payment to Allardyce or a direct one to Mr Pagliara.

A Cardiff City spokesman said: “Mr Pagliara was not paid by the club. We investigated the matter thoroughly.”

Mr Pagliara, who is also at the centre of The Telegraph’s latest revelations that eight Premier League managers past or present have received alleged bungs during their careers, said: “I never paid any payment to Sam Allardyce.”

Allardyce has previously denied taking bribes for player transfers, and after resigning as England manager on Tuesday, he has confirmed his intention to return to football management once he returns from a short break out of the country.