Everybody loves a good transfer saga. The only thing keeping the baying fans amused before the domestic season kicks off is the hustle and bustle of the window, after all who doesn’t like waking up and hearing their club linked with a big name signing? It is part of what makes football so entertaining, but its impact on the clubs can be rather negative.
In the age of player power, the individuals and their agents seem to hold pretty much all the cards. Just this week we have seen football’s latest villain, Mr Raheem Sterling, refuse to train with Liverpool in order to force through a move to Manchester City. The England attacker got what he wished for and is now across at the Etihad Stadium following a staggering £49m move.
Back in April, the wantaway winger appeared on the BBC in a thoroughly laughable interview. He proclaimed he was not a ‘money grabbing 20 year old’ and talked up his desire to win trophies. Now, the Citizens may be in a better position to challenge for silverware than Liverpool, but the move has left a sour taste in the mouth of the Merseysiders. His agent, the now infamous Aidy Ward, is alleged to have put the wheels in motion for the unsolicited interview and he himself would later declare that his client would not sign a new deal at Anfield for ‘£700,000, £800,000, £900,000 a week.’
Recent reports suggest Sterling and his agent are in for a mega pay day now the move is complete, so the exit plan has worked for the England international, and his agent is reported to have pulled the strings. Clever.
Sterling is not the first player to act in this way to get what he wants. He’s not even the only one doing so this summer!
In fact, Real Madrid ‘bad boy’ Sergio Ramos has manoeuvred a promotion through links away from the club. The Spanish international has been heavily aligned with a move to Manchester United, with his disappointment at not being offered a contract, which he feels he deserves, cited as the reason he wants to leave. The La Liga juggernauts have constantly denied this, and Ramos is reported to have been made their new captain following the departure of the iconic Iker Casillas.
The World Cup winner is rumoured to have told his agent he wants a move away from Spain. As a result, he has been linked with a blockbuster move to England. And after a few weeks of negotiations Ramos is suddenly the new captain of Real Madrid. Player and agent power at its finest.
Even the biggest clubs in the world are being played by those dastardly agents. Players can outright refuse to train for their clubs these days in order to force through a move or pressure the club into providing a new contract. Clubs the stature of Real, Manchester United and Liverpool have been forced into making decisions by those under contract to them, and their advisors. It is hard to imagine this happening in any other profession, so has player power gone too far?
There is no quick fix to letting agents run wild. Top players command top money, and their agents are paid to ensure they get it. It may not be nice, but ultimately it is business. Sterling and Ramos have shown that anybody can be played. Nobody is safe.