I don't know how many of you read this article on the BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21300961 After the transfer window closed without any of the loanees having signed contracts with Watford as we were led to believe might happen, I found this article and somehow it made sense. There was a lot of talk about Matej Vydra signing for the club, but put yourself in the position of the Pozzos. His agent wants to negotiate an increase in wages for his client, which will give him a percentage of that increase. He also wants to get a fee from the club to persuade Vydra to sign that contract. Putting my Pozzo hat on, why should I pay this money out now? The summer will be quite soon enough as the player is contracted to me until 2014. Let's see what happens in the next few months and should my Watford team get promoted then I will see what I can do to ensure that the best players are available as I don't want it to be a one season wonder. Matej Vydra is going nowhere until I see what is the best thing for my English purse. There is no telling yet which way the FL will jump over that man who tried to be the owner of the club, but until that matter is resolved I think I will just keep things ticking along as I cannot really change things before this season comes to an end. As far as I can see, agents are reflecting football clubs. They are desperate to go where the money is, and even if some clubs have no money will persuade the managers and fans that their team cannot function without player X, Y or Z. Some owners will cave in and pay up, but maybe it needs a few owners who could pay, but won't pay to stand up and put these agents in their place.
i don't know much about Agents and their ways to be honest, but it does seem..after fiascos like what happened at Doncaster last season, that they have way too much control for my liking...and don't work, it would seem, for the good of the game...as well as their clients..but i guess greed has a lot to answer for..
When did agents arrive in football? I know actors and musicians have had them or people to arrange things for a long time. I can understand the requirement as some of the footballers are not the cleverest people and the contracts now are complicated with many things that a footballers of years ago did not have to think about like image rights. I do think the agents have been allowed to create a monster and that is them and the people who control football in the FA or FL and the owners of the clubs do not know how to deal with the agents.
Interesting article OFH. Looking from a Watford perspective, their agents must being having a difficult time (shame really- not) in possibly having to deal with 2 clubs and the same owner. But I would imagine that with the number of players the Pozzo's move through, they are pretty shrewd with their negotiations. What I find galling is people like 'onest 'arry moaning about it - he has used the system for years to get in players on big contracts and big wages and he loves it. Looking at the Steptoe's over the past few weeks on thr TV, I would have thought that buying in a very expensive defender was not a priority, they need to turn draws into wins and need to score goals - Danny Graham would have been a vey good signing and they could have paid a lot and offered him a great deal to sign and still spent less than on Samba. Signing of a player like Samba is a classic 'arry move - bring him in from a iffy Russian club, beat the Steptoe's transfer fee record and them get the coif exec to deny the 100k a week reported. Well there is no way Samba came for less than his tax free salary in Russia - so something is being done under the table. I also wonder if Jamie's agency company had any role in this or other dealings? Whole thing stinks and no-one seems willing to stop it - to much money floating around and too many with their snouts in the trough.
