What are your thoughts on players agents. Personally I think players agents are a big problem to clubs like ours. It seems to me that they are the only people who perpetrate the last day transfer stampede. What I would like to see is after the transfer window all the clubs name and shame the players and agents that have led them a merry dance. It might stop the games getting played. The ideal solution would be for the Premier League to grow some balls and actually discipline rouge agents and take them to court. The telling thing for me is Joorabchin who was Tevez's 'Adviser' (and Mark Hughes Adviser) because he can't get a License in this country to be an Agent due to his transfer dealings in the past. But he still rules the roost. Agents = leches.
Unfortunately, the FA will not do anying about the excesses of agents - I suspect the usual problem of too many people with vested interests and short-term goals that means don't rock the boat.
Thet are a big problem full stop. It's in their interest to move on; not only do they take a slice of the transfer fee but also a percentage of the player's wage. Adding up to more cost to the club - to go with the hassle. On the plus side, they can smooth/speed up a transction - although usually only if it suits the size of their pocket. For what it's worth, here is the last list of Fulham players and their agents - Player Agency group Mark Schwarzer (Aus) Global Sport Group Pascal Zuberbuhler (Swi) MWS Sport and Music Marketing David Stockdale (Eng) ? Paul Konchesky (Eng) Base Soccer Chris Baird (N.Ire) ? Stephen Kelly (Ire) SEM Group John Pantsil (Gha) Base Soccer John Arne Riise (Nor) Einar Baardsen Carlos Salcido (Mex) James Grant Sports Management Philippe Senderos (Swi) SK Management Rafik Halliche (Alg) Extra Time SL Brede Hangeland (Nor) Rune Hauge Aaron Hughes (N.Ire) Stellar Football Matthew Briggs Andy Evans Simon Davies (Wal) WMG Management (SFX Sports) Dickson Etuhu (Nig) Base Soccer Steve Sidwell (Eng) Base Soccer Kagisho Dikgacoi (SAf) Prosport International Danny Murphy (Eng) WMG Management (SFX Sports) Zoltan Gera (Hun) Vladan Filipovic Bjorn Riise (Nor) Einar Baardsen Damien Duff (Ire) Pat Devlin Jonathan Greening (Eng) Mel Stein Marcel Gecov (Cze) Nehoda Sport Clint Dempsey (USA) James Grant Sports Management Andrew Johnson (Eng) Base Soccer Lauri Dalla Valle (Fin) Octagon Athletes and Personalities Moussa Dembele (Bel) Patrick Vervoort Bobby Zamora (Eng) Base Soccer Base Soccer seem to have an interesting toehold
From the club's perspective, agents are a pain in the a$$. But from the player's perspective agents are a necessity. Players don't have the contacts, legal or negotiation skills to properly represent themselves at the highest level. Players are products and clubs are customers; a player couldn't market himself to a club any better than a head of lettuce could market itself to grocery stores. Agents became necessary after the Bosman Ruling. Before Bosman, clubs OWNED players. If a player fell out of favor with the manager, the player couldn't seek work elsewhere. If the club wanted to sell a player to some club in Timbuktu, the player had no say in the matter. Bosman changed that, but it also created the necessity for agents since players didn't have the wherewithal to represent themselves. Having said that, I think there's some truth to what you're saying, Super Brian. It's the agent's job to get as much money for his player as he can. That often means playing hardball with clubs, dragging out the negotiations, stalling, lying and anything else you can think of. But clubs are hardly helpless in the process; they can use the same tactics that agents use. When you watch a club like Fulham try to fill a position - like striker - the club will always pursue more than one player. For the sake of argument, letâs say Fulham want Peter Crouch. Once the negotiations being, Fulham will also let slip through a friendly journalist that its also interested in Carlton Cole or Darren Bent. In reality, Fulham probably has no interest in Bent and Cole, but Crouch's agent doesn't know that, so floating those names during the negotiations gives Fulham an advantage. Crouch's agent will do the same, telling a friend a the newspaper that Sunderland and Blackburn are also interested. If you've ever wondered why so many of these transfer rumors come to nothing, there's your answer.
Jerome Anderson who is an agent for the Venkeys at Blackburn? He has said his company made £1.5 million out of the Rochina (19 year old super-kid) deal from Barcleona (reported as 450K), he reckons he saved Blackburn £5m due to various technical issues with his contract, so Blackburn didn't have to pay a massive transfer fee for him, he also said there were 7 other clubs after him but he wanted to come to Ewood due to Blackburn building a new younger team (guess he was conned there then), and also Alex Ferguson rates him very highly, so he'll probably go to United in a years time for Millions (when Rovers are relegated .
