Robinho: Just how much?

There has been plenty of speculation about how much cash Manchester City are paying new-signing Robinho. Without the help of either the player, his agent or the club's HR department, it's impossible to answer accurately but perhaps a few assumptions can be made.

The claim Robinho will earn €6million-a-year after tax has been made enough times to give it some credibility. That works out at around £94,000-a-week. Compared to the likes of Chelsea's Frank Lampard, Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand and even Liverpool's Fernando Torres, that might not seem like too much. But that £94,000 is after tax. That's his take-home amount.

I'm no accountant and I would never want to be one. But my basic maths is not too shoddy and it tells me that £94,000 after tax (assuming the tax is just income tax at 40 per cent, for the sake of simplicity) is roughly £160,000 before tax. Each and every week. For the next four years.

Such a sum would appear to make him the highest-paid player in England, and one of the highest-paid players in the world - possible the highest-paid player. Scary? In itself, not really. We know they have money and we know they had to do the deals within 10 hours or so. But from what is coming out of Maine Road, erm, Eastlands (I'm stuck in the past!), there is little reason to think they won't offer similar amounts, and far more, in the future.

As for the £4million signing-on fee he may or may not have pocketed...!