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Do agents really earn so much?

Coop

By Coop,
in Football Manager General Discussion

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pedrofilipe.lourencosta

pedrofilipe.lourencosta

Posted
Posted

Here's why clubs hire agents. Note: We can't do this in FM. When we want a player we represent ourselves. Right? We do not hire agents to go to Brazil and get us Mário Fernandes for example. IRL clubs hire agents, why?

As a general rule, agents payments are far more prevalent in the higher divisions and two of the key commodities offered by agents are time and specialist knowledge. Top level player transfers in the modern game can be very time consuming and complicated negotiations that individual clubs or players may not be able to handle on their own. They therefore buy in the services of agents to handle this work for them.

In terms of the sums of money involved, it's all about supply and demand. The higher up the football pyramid you go, the fewer players there are capable of operating at that level so they demand a higher premium and agents are able to negotiate hard for their clients. If an agent has a contract to a receive a fixed percentage from a player's transfer then the more valuable the transfer, the more the agent will receive.

Now, if the agent was hired by the player, the player pays him. If he was hired by the club then the money comes out of the club's pocket, since we don't do that in FM11, we should not be paying the agent.

In many cases a player will engage an agent to find him a new club on more lucrative terms and the agent will charge a percentage commission on making a deal happen. The agent effectively 'markets' the player to other clubs and uses his contacts to arrange for the him to be made available to managers looking for a specific type of player, such as a striker or left-back.

Above: A contract between player and agent.

Now, the opposite.

On other occasions a club will say to an agent: "I want x player from y club in Spain". Can you see if a transfer can happen? The agent then communicates with the relevant people, and this may be complex and time consuming when dealing with different languages and regulations in different countries, then comes back with a proposal for a transfer. The agent is then paid for his time and work on putting the package together.

A club may have a star player but might be short of money and may need to sell. An agent may therefore be employed to obtain the best possible transfer deal and receive a percentage as a result.

Si, if you can, change this. I just want the game to get better and better.

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pedrofilipe.lourencosta

pedrofilipe.lourencosta

Posted
Posted

This is a 2006 article, so it's old. But as you can see here: http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/RulesandRegulations/Agents

Agents rules have been revised to avoid agent exploiting clubs, altough it still happens in some of them, so they don't get blocked. player a transfer goes wrong, so players b,c,d,e,f (because the agent his the same) may be impossible deals to work out.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/jon-holmes-players-not-clubs-must-employ-and-pay-agents-416840.html

extract:

"Tax rules do not permit players to set agents' fees against liabilities. This has pushed clubs towards paying those fees on behalf of players who, quite naturally, see such a practice as cutting their own costs. The fact is that, in transferring this liability to the club, they open themselves to exploitation. The clubs, in agreeing to this situation, open themselves to the corruption of their paid officials."

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ClausH

ClausH

Posted
Posted

Don't know if this has been posted or if it is of any relevance,

Premier League Statement

The Premier League has released details of payments to agents by its member clubs.

The below table shows the payments made by each Premier League club to agents in the period 1st October 2009 to 30th September 2010.

There were 742 transactions during this period. Not all of these will have attracted an agent's fee. The amounts shown include payments made by clubs on behalf of players.

The Premier League agreed, in June 2008, that from season 2009/10 onwards each club would publish, on 30th November each season, the total amount it paid to authorised agents during the period 1st October of the previous year to 30th September of that year (encompassing the two transfer windows).

Arsenal £3,660,199.00

Aston Villa £2,279.536.50

Birmingham City £1,518,529.09

Blackburn Rovers £1,623,232.92

Blackpool £45,000.00

Bolton Wanderers £3,549,316.72

Chelsea £9,293,751.48

Everton £3,599,040.51

Fulham £2,087,373.55

Liverpool £9,032,528.49

Manchester City £5,952,261.33

Manchester United £2,312,726.00

Newcastle United £2,417,776.00

Stoke City £2,196,968.50

Sunderland £4,421,990.72

Tottenham Hotspur £5,361,229.87

West Bromwich Albion £614,195.73

West Ham United £3,419,089.99

Wigan Athletic £2,461,500.00

Wolverhampton Wanderers £1,291,794.00

Total

£67,138,040.40

http://www.premierleague.com/page/Headlines/0,,12306~2234236,00.html

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pedrofilipe.lourencosta

pedrofilipe.lourencosta

Posted
Posted

The amounts shown include payments made by clubs on behalf of players.

Note: On behalf, payments that the players are responsable for

From the same extract before: has pushed clubs towards paying those fees on behalf of players who, quite naturally, see such a practice as cutting their own costs. The fact is that, in transferring this liability to the club, they open themselves to exploitation. The clubs, in agreeing to this situation, open themselves to the corruption of their paid officials.

I think it's wrong to have that agent fee as it is right now on FM11. Those terms are incorrect. The way it's put on Fm11 is unreallistic.

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pedrofilipe.lourencosta

pedrofilipe.lourencosta

Posted
Posted
The amounts shown include payments made by clubs on behalf of players.

Note: On behalf, payments that the players are responsable for

From the same extract before: has pushed clubs towards paying those fees on behalf of players who, quite naturally, see such a practice as cutting their own costs. The fact is that, in transferring this liability to the club, they open themselves to exploitation. The clubs, in agreeing to this situation, open themselves to the corruption of their paid officials.

I think it's wrong to have that agent fee as it is right now on FM11. Those terms are incorrect. The way it's put on Fm11 is unreallistic.

So, it makes no sense to pay the player fee and the agent fee, because we are not responsable for the latter.

When a club goes out of there way to pay on behalf of the player, i'm sure the player's fee will be smaller than it would be. Even worst the salary might be a lot smaller.

From http://www.sport.co.uk/features/Football/971/Sportcouk_meetsfootball_agent_Alex_Levack.aspx

"But when you start seeing these huge fees and the player is on a very minimal salary then obviously that’s not right."

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pedrofilipe.lourencosta

pedrofilipe.lourencosta

Posted
Posted

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/jon-holmes-players-not-clubs-must-employ-and-pay-agents-416840.html

"Football clubs do not need agents. They have scouts and managers handsomely paid to make transfer arrangements. Players, who are by and large financially unsophisticated, need agents they can trust to negotiate their way through the minefields of contract negotiation. If the club pays the agent, the temptation to undersell the player and worse will always exist."

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celebritykiller

celebritykiller

Posted
Posted
Don't know if this has been posted or if it is of any relevance,

http://www.premierleague.com/page/Headlines/0,,12306~2234236,00.html

Liverpool WTF!?

But demonstrates fees are too high in game.

Basically Man City got Vieira, Johnson, Balotelli, Silva, Milner, Y.Toure, Boateng, Kolorov for an agent fee of £5,952,261.33, try and do that in FM!

edit: forgot a few players!

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pedrofilipe.lourencosta

pedrofilipe.lourencosta

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Posted

http://www.premierleague.com/page/Headlines/0,,12306~1891147,00.html 08/09 season

The figures published below are inclusive of:

• Fees paid to agents by Clubs in respect of acquiring and/or renegotiating Player Registrations.

• Fees paid to agents by Clubs on behalf of players in respect of acquiring and/or renegotiating Player Registrations.

• Fees paid to agents during the defined period relating to previous transaction costs (i.e. Player Registrations prior to 1st October 2008) that have been amortised over the length of a Player Contract.

• Fees paid to agents by Clubs to facilitate the outward transfer of Player Registrations.

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pedrofilipe.lourencosta

pedrofilipe.lourencosta

Posted
Posted
I made a bid for Akinfeev accepted at 15m but when I went to contract negotiations his agent demanded 5m, it made the transfer unreasonable when players like Ochoa and De Gea only charged about 1m in agent fees. 33% is ridiculous.

I don't agree to any fee towards the agent, but as it is right now in FM, it's too high. It's crazy.

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pedrofilipe.lourencosta

pedrofilipe.lourencosta

Posted
Posted

This:

Fees paid to agents by Clubs in respect of acquiring and/or renegotiating Player Registrations

After reading the legislation on the FA website and FIFA, altough this is not my thing and can't say i understand much of it, to me looks like a ransom fee. "If you don't pay me this fee for Player A, you can forget about that (Player B) 16 year old brazilian prospect. I'll march him to Chelsea."

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Jibby123

Jibby123

Posted
Posted

Not to get all political, and the last thing I want to do is argue the merits or not of worker's unions here, but there was a time when unions were well needed because workers were abused (not literally, but you know what I mean...!?!?). Now?? Maybe now less so (or not) but their tentacles are there and they look after their own interests I think.

And it must have been the same for footballers, if there is as much money generated as appears in football then it is only right that footballers should get their share (which wasn't always the case).

Agents have probably facilitated that, in looking out for player's interests etc etc, but now (like Unions maybe) that has gone too far if those figures are correct.

I would not argue with you if you said players are ridiculously overpaid (and I love football), but these agent fees as per the EPL statement today take the pee.

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nev147

nev147

Posted
Posted

As I have said from the off - the FACTS from these sources have made a mockery of the agent fees in FM. Take note please SI - to say it needs tweaking is an understatement. I have always said they are far too high - but the evidence is now there.

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AcidBurn

AcidBurn

Posted
Posted
As I have said from the off - the FACTS from these sources have made a mockery of the agent fees in FM. Take note please SI - to say it needs tweaking is an understatement. I have always said they are far too high - but the evidence is now there.

Couldn't agree more this needs changing for the next patch big time.

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Phil Macklam

Phil Macklam

Posted
Posted

Just to add to it all this on the BBC it says the Premier League paid just £67 million on agents fees in the year ending September 2010 thus proving FM11 is far too high in it's demands for agents.

Apparently Chelsea paid just £9.2m in that year and Liverpool £9m while the lowest was Blackpool with £45k.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/9244286.stm

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John Smith

John Smith

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Posted
Liverpool WTF!?

But demonstrates fees are too high in game.

Basically Man City got Vieira, Johnson, Balotelli, Silva, Milner, Y.Toure, Boateng, Kolorov for an agent fee of £5,952,261.33, try and do that in FM!

edit: forgot a few players!

Man City is shifting towards a new policy of paying agents over the length of their player's contract though so it may appear lower for the newer signings. SI should also apply agent fee payments over installments/contract duration in the game. Publication of fees paid by all clubs should be included as a feature now that we are aware it is compulsory declaration.

But I agree that the fees are probably too high in-game. Some of the fees sound just ridiculous.

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