Sky: Premier League footballers could be forced to pay agents

Bastian

Full Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2015
Messages
18,444
Supports
Mejbri
The Premier League’s top footballers could soon be forced to pay their own agents – rather than rely on their clubs to pay them – in what is set to be the most radical changes to the way football agents work in England.

League chiefs meet on Thursday to consider changing the onus of responsibility for payment from clubs to players. While the move is likely to prompt demands for higher player wages, the clubs believe the move will curb the spiralling fees that some representatives are demanding.

Last year, football intermediaries earned more than £220m in fees paid by clubs in England and Wales. If the changes are adopted, deals like Paul Pogba's move from Juventus to Manchester United - where super agent Mino Raiola pocketed a reported £41m in fees from both clubs - would see Pogba paying his agent, rather than the clubs.

A Premier League's working group has consulted a number of top employment lawyers in the hope their plans will survive the expected legal challenges they will face when reducing an intermediary's earning potential.

Thursday's meeting will decide whether to adopt the series of radical proposals - or whether to work alongside FIFA who are also considering changes to the present system.*

The proposals also include the re-introduction of an "exam" for all agents, to see if they are suitably qualified to act as an intermediary.

They will also be required to do all business through a UK bank account, and will be required to provide an annual statement of business to the FA.

Crucially, if agreed, all agents fees will be paid over the course of a player's contract - avoiding the payment of lump sums to agents on completion of a transfer or new contract. The aim is to reduce the number of players looking for regular transfers and dissuade less reputable agents from moving their players on as early as possible.

The final recommendation would see the end of agents representing both a player and a club during a transfer. 'Dual representation' was previously illegal in England but was allowed when FIFA deregulated the way agents operate in 2015. It is estimated that the same agent acts for the club and the player in around 60% of transfers and contract negotiations.

Having washed its hands of licensing and policing agents in 2015, FIFA now looks set to reverse its decision with a series of new initiatives, including putting a 5 per cent cap on all agent fees.
Link

* Thread: UEFA consider cap on fees that clubs pay to agents

Raiola would have to take an exam and then Pogba would have to hand over the money to him. I love this. But I'd definitely prefer a cap on their fees to anything else.
 

Ace of Spades

Full Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
Messages
5,172
Anything to get the power of agents under control is fine by me. The fees paid to these people is just ridiculous.
 

Nico87

Full Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2018
Messages
871
Location
Manchester
Crucially, if agreed, all agents fees will be paid over the course of a player's contract - avoiding the payment of lump sums to agents on completion of a transfer or new contract. The aim is to reduce the number of players looking for regular transfers and dissuade less reputable agents from moving their players on as early as possible.

This is the only part that would make a difference and would indeed be fantastic, if it's only a case of player paying the agent then it's a token change that wouldn't affect a thing as they would just demand a higher signing on fee so they weren't out of pocket.
 

MuranoLover

New Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
1,207
If this idiot has earned 41 million from a single deal , then something must be done
 

cyberman

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2010
Messages
37,331
The players would demand extra so they can pay their agents though.
 

IrishRedDevil

Full Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2016
Messages
12,260
Location
N.Ireland
‘The aim is to reduce the number of players looking for regular transfers and dissuade less reputable agents from moving their players on as early as possible.’

That’s the highlight. Power needs to be removed from agents as much as possible.
 

RedPed

Whatabouter.
Joined
Jun 24, 2015
Messages
14,558
I think agents fees should be commensurate to the length of time the player actually spends at the club. This would stop them hankering players for another move shortly into their contracts.

So if we paid Raiola £20m for Pogba's 5 year deal. If Pogba moves again after 2 years, Raiola would have to pay us £12m back.

Unworkable I know but it's good to hear that this situation is at least being looked at.
 

SalfordRed18

Netflix and avocado, no chill
Joined
Sep 24, 2012
Messages
13,928
Location
Salford
Supports
Ashwood City FC
I think agents fees should be commensurate to the length of time the player actually spends at the club. This would stop them hankering players for another move shortly into their contracts.

So if we paid Raiola £20m for Pogba's 5 year deal. If Pogba moves again after 2 years, Raiola would have to pay us £12m back.


Unworkable I know but it's good to hear that this situation is at least being looked at.
Surely you'd just pay it yearly to avoid that situation?
 

Skills

Snitch
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
42,010
Excellent.

If a player wants an agent, he should be paying for him. Its common sense.
 

MadDogg

Full Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
15,812
Location
Manchester Utd never lose, just run out of time
Yeah, ourselves and Juve have exacerbated this problem.
It was almost all from Juve. When Pogba signed with them in the first place Juve agreed that something like 30% (not sure the exact figure) of any future sale would go to Raiola. Obviously Juve agreed to that deal to get him ahead of whoever else were trying to sign him, but when they eventually did sell him it just happened to be for a world record fee meaning they had to hand over a huge amount to the agent. That's what held up the transfer for so long, as they were trying to make us pay that fee and we rightfully told them to get fecked. Eventually after it was all over they admitted they paid the full fee out of the 89m we gave them, but the media to this day often try to make out we paid it as well as the 89m.
 

RedPed

Whatabouter.
Joined
Jun 24, 2015
Messages
14,558
Surely you'd just pay it yearly to avoid that situation?
Yeah that would work but you know what these greedy feckers are like. I think the thought of a greedy agent who has £12m burning a hole in his pocket then having to give it back is more of an incentive to stop him unsettling his player. If he hasn't received the money, he'd just be thinking what the heck, go ahead.
 

cyberman

Full Member
Joined
May 26, 2010
Messages
37,331
Yeah, ourselves and Juve have exacerbated this problem.



There might be less of a demand for players that come with a very high maintenance agent.
Nah, if he's a top player then we would pay it, lower down I can see West Ham and Everton paying it. Fulham etc would bump up the cash for a quality player.
Its the league that has the problem here, not the clubs.
 

Canuckred64

Full Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2007
Messages
3,629
Location
Canada
Great idea, never understood why the clubs paid the player's agent. However, wouldn't players and their agents decide to go to clubs in other leagues that let their clubs pay agent fees? Just like the Premier league ending their transfer window early, it only works if it is done across all of Europe.
 

Steven7290

Full Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2013
Messages
1,330
Location
Ñāqa hen Amērika
Then the players would ask the club for astronomical wage to compensate for the fee they pay to the agents. One could say the club can play hard ball and refuse but when they essentially are going to pay the same amount of money out of pocket as before to have a star player, it makes no difference.

I can't see it.
 

Minimalist

New Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2013
Messages
15,091
Surely they'll get the money some way? Player asks for more money up front (to then give some to agent).

At the end of the day, players don't need an agent. The problem is with the players if there is a problem.
 

pascell

Full Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2012
Messages
14,113
Location
Sir Alex Ferguson Stand
Would this not further inflate wages as players would have to factor in they'll have to pay their agent? If it did then it'd see players running down their contacts more frequently as clubs aren't going to keep paying inflated wages as agents demand more money from their clients.

Bit of a head scratcher as agents will still be paid the fees from the buying/current club of their client through inflated wages. If it's a buying club then the agent can still charge their extortionate fees, maybe even more as it's over a prolong period.
 

Cloud7

Full Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2016
Messages
12,778
Though I do understand that agents are necessary to ensure players don’t get taken advantage of by clubs, I always thought that it should be the players who pay them, after all they’re primarily looking after their players interests.
 

Rozay

Master of Hindsight
Joined
Oct 22, 2012
Messages
27,025
Location
...
Though I do understand that agents are necessary to ensure players don’t get taken advantage of by clubs, I always thought that it should be the players who pay them, after all they’re primarily looking after their players interests.
In reality they are looking after the interests of both parties more often than not. Hence the report mentioning agents representing both club and player in a deal.

To use the Pogba deal as an example (as this whole thread seems to have decided that this is the only deal that matters!) - Raoila was working on our interests too, as he had the most sought after player in the market who we were trying to acquire ahead of the likes of Real Madrid. In this scenario, his influence doesn’t just serve the player, once the deal was concluded, we probably felt he had done a great service to us in facilitating it.
 

P0GBA

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Jul 23, 2016
Messages
208
I can't really see this making any difference to agents trying to encourage players to move frequently. Instead of a one off fee for the transfer the agent will look to get the player a contract with higher wages so that the agent is getting paid a higher amount. Also it may not always be true that agents are looking to force moves under the current system, If Pogba moved 2 years later Riola may have had 30% of 150 million instead of 89 million.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Penna

SER19

Full Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2008
Messages
12,478
Fantastic lets see how cosy pogba and raiola when hes paying from his own pocket to the fat prick
 

SER19

Full Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2008
Messages
12,478
Would this not further inflate wages as players would have to factor in they'll have to pay their agent? If it did then it'd see players running down their contacts more frequently as clubs aren't going to keep paying inflated wages as agents demand more money from their clients.

Bit of a head scratcher as agents will still be paid the fees from the buying/current club of their client through inflated wages. If it's a buying club then the agent can still charge their extortionate fees, maybe even more as it's over a prolong period.
Could do but clubs should play hardball and diminish agents as much as they can. City and psg im sure would happily pay through the nose if the change occured
 

MuranoLover

New Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2009
Messages
1,207
He didn't earn that much in agent fees.

Most of that money was because he owned some of the economic rights to Pogba,with Juventus owning the rest.

That part always gets ignored.
So there must be a certain Financial Supervision Commission that would be taking care of these things , otherwise it will get mad .

Similar is in the IT market - headhunters try to move their portfolio from one to another company every year to get commissions
 

SER19

Full Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2008
Messages
12,478
So basically the players will ask for extra 'agent fee' cash on their contracts?

Brilliant idea.
That would be the risk but you’d have to imagine 99% of clubs would have to work within their current wage limits. Without the backing of a middle eastern state for example. How much could united afford to pay players extra? I think it’s right, I always just assumed agents took about 10%. The role of them needs to be way more clearly defined and their influence greatly lowered.
 

WR10

Correctly predicted France to win World Cup 2018
Joined
Jul 19, 2009
Messages
5,644
Location
Dream
Not going to happen - next
 

VP89

Pogba's biggest fan
Joined
Dec 6, 2015
Messages
31,123
So basically the players will ask for extra 'agent fee' cash on their contracts?

Brilliant idea.
I thought it was a good idea until you mentioned this.

Players would just ask for an extra 5% more in wages or whatever it is.
 

RoyH1

Full Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
5,888
Location
DKNY
I worry that the agents would just push players into demanding much higher wages to cover their losses. I cannot see the likes of Raiola and Mendes taking this lying down.
 

Micky Targaryen

Full Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2017
Messages
1,339
Location
Malaysia
I worry that the agents would just push players into demanding much higher wages to cover their losses. I cannot see the likes of Raiola and Mendes taking this lying down.
Exactly the first thing I thought of when I saw the thread. Either way, the agents win.
 

finneh

Full Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2010
Messages
7,318
It would inevitably lead to much higher wages... But is still a good idea. For example United would have signed Pogba for £50m and the c. £40m would be put into his contract (increasing it to c. £400k a week).

The benefit would be that player's would feel the pain of paying a huge chunk of their own salary every month to their agents. Pogba would see a third of his gross salary leaving his account every month and would question what the agent is doing to justify such a huge cut.

I think it would lead to a lot of players renegotiating their agent agreements as the agent huge cut is visible, rather than the convoluted system at the moment, where players believe they'd get the same salary irrespective of these huge agent fees (which is obviously false).
 

12OunceEpilogue

In perfect harmony
Scout
Joined
Oct 2, 2016
Messages
18,392
Location
Wigan
This plan is no magic bullet, and the possible loophole where agents' fees are passed on to clubs in higher wages anyway is clear, but it's good the authorities are realising they need measures to take control of the free-for-all we currently have.
 

Trizy

New Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2014
Messages
12,009
Good move. However, clubs will have to pay their players even more wages to cover the fat Riolas.

What needs to follow on this is European Salary Caps. This would completely remove massive money from agents.
 

stu_1992

Full Member
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
4,856
Location
Ireland
This would a positive step for sure. Agents have far too much influence and power right now. Anything to reduce that, I'm all for it.
 

Skills

Snitch
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
42,010
I thought it was a good idea until you mentioned this.

Players would just ask for an extra 5% more in wages or whatever it is.
They will, and then they will squirm as the money first comes into their account before having to pay the agent. Its much easier to give up the money you don't have.