Money-chasing continental footballers and agents certainly agree with William Blake’s description of England

Green, pleasant land

By Peter Sharkey

Published:

I have had the good fortune to spend the last three weeks sur le continent, where I’ve mingled with a motley Euro 2008 crowd.

I have mixed with Spaniards, Frenchmen, Germans, Poles, Russians and shared more than one beer with a Chilean who was supporting Spain – or whomever was leading in whichever match we happened to be watching.

All and sundry appeared to enjoy what was a marvellous tournament – but not necessarily as fans.

Each claimed to be involved in football as some form of fixer, agent or gopher – and I had even heard of two of them.

It’s been fascinating watching these guys operate at close quarters.

One claimed to be on the payroll of one of Europe’s leading football clubs, several others said they were doing favours for either clubs or their managers. No one was slumming it.

The Chilean and his Greek girlfriend were invariably interested to know which British footballers and managers I knew. There are big bucks involved in gaining access to players and “creating” a transfer.

On more than one occasion it was made very clear that were I to effect an introduction to a player or manager which resulted in a footballer moving clubs for a fee, I would be well remunerated.

I declined this offer, much to the Chilean’s amazement, although I suspect not everyone did.

Over the past few weeks, several high-profile players have seen their transfer values surge, much to the delight of their agents and, in many cases, their respective clubs.

Others who enjoyed a less fruitful tournament are now contending with the aftermath as their respective worth has fallen.

And so this week the post-Euro 2008 transfer merry-go-round can begin in earnest.

If the effort each of these assorted fixers, agents and gophers put in over the past month (one had three mobile phones, each ringing almost incessantly) is to be rewarded, we should anticipate several big-name moves before the start of the new football season.

By far the most favoured destination for players and their devoted band of dedicated agents is the English Premier League.

According to Kia Joorab-chian, the Iranian businessman who caused an almighty controversy two seasons ago by bringing Carlos Tevez and Javier Macherano to West Ham and retaining their commercial rights, the overwhelming majority of players are England-bound.

He said: “You talk to any top-class young player about where they want to play and 90% say England.”

Like several others, Joorab-chian is one of a new breed associated with the football business. Their modus operandi is straightforward.

They generally lead a consortium of investors who back promising players and, depending upon the territory in which it is anticipated the footballer will be most effective, then appoint specific agents to oversee their transfers.

Profits are generated by taking a cut of the transfer fee and by retaining some, or all, of a player’s commercial rights.

Currently, nowhere is the market for talent greater than the English top flight.

Up until a decade ago, a combination of colossal transfer fees and enormous salary levels determined that the most talented footballers inevitably ended up playing in Italy or Spain.

For the most part, players arriving on those shores, famously referred to by Sir Alan Sugar as Carlos Kickaball, were well past their peak, yet continued to command big wages as they served what in most cases was little more than a sinecure.

Today, the tables have turned. Not one of the motley crew with whom I mingled over the past three weeks wanted anything other than one of “their” players to end up in the colours of an English club come August’s transfer window closure. The reason? You’ve guessed it: money.

Last year, English Premier League clubs spent an astronomical £600million in transfer fees and various agents, business advisers and consultants expect that figure to be comfortably surpassed during the 2008-09 season.

The scale of the middle men’s collective cut could approach £100million.

Granted, wages at top clubs in some countries, especially Spain and Italy, have kept pace with those on offer in the EPL. However, top-flight English clubs generate a phenomenal £2.7billion from television rights, whereas broadcast receipts in countries such as Germany, Spain, Italy and France range between £1billion and £1.5billion.

Therefore, the buying power of even mid-table outfits such as Tottenham Hotspur or Newcastle United is significantly greater than all but the leading two or three clubs in most other nations.

So, who is likely to hop on the transfer roundabout and what level of fee could they command?

Portuguese playmaker Deco has joined Chelsea for £8million, while Russia’s Andrei Arshavin will probably also end up in London.

Both players blew hot and cold during Euro 2008, but the really big money could be spent on one of Spain’s outstanding performers and, of course, on Portugal’s Ronaldo.

While Sir Alex Ferguson insists that Ronaldo is not for sale at any price, the decision to accept or reject Real Madrid’s commercial overtures will ultimately be made by Manchester United’s owners.

At this juncture, the Glazer family might consider a £60million-plus bid for a player who disappointed in Euro 2008 too good to reject. Remember, the scale of their bank liabilities is enormous and, with the credit crunch making life increasingly difficult for borrowers, repaying a chunk of their loans from the proceeds of Ronaldo’s transfer could make excellent commercial sense.

The same thinking applies at Liverpool where Fernando Torres, whose goal clinched the European crown for Spain, is now valued in excess of £50million.

Liverpool’s owners are also heavily indebted and, despite what their manager says, it is messrs Hicks and Gillett who have the final say when it comes to money.

Selling Torres would be enormously unpopular, but the American duo seem not to care – for them, football is about making money, otherwise they wouldn’t have invested in the first place.

As for the collection of individuals with whom I spent most of June, they consider their essential groundwork complete now that Euro 2008 has finished. The time to make some serious money has arrived.