Cardiff City is seeking over €120m compensation from FC Nantes for the loss of striker Emiliano Sala, seven years after his death in a charter flight crash.

The legal battle, set for a French court hearing, stems from the £15m transfer fee paid by Cardiff for Sala in January 2019. Cardiff claims the club should be compensated for Sala's potential to keep them in the Premier League, a claim Nantes denies.

Sala's death exposed severe flaws in player welfare and transfer regulation. Former player liaison officer Lorna McLelland highlighted the lack of standardized welfare roles across clubs, stating "it's still a little bit of a wild west" regarding player movement and money. The PFA acknowledged transfer stress but emphasized player choice.

While the CAA introduced tighter regulations for private flights post-crash, the core issues of unregulated agents and inadequate welfare oversight persist. Pilot David Ibbotson, unlicensed for the flight, remains missing. The case underscores that significant systemic change in football's transfer 'wild west' has yet to materialize.