Fans don’t mind the lavish contracts... it’s the lavish CREAM-OFFS they detest

AS many Liverpool fans were still hauling their way back from Kiev, the glamorous wife of new signing Fabinho was posting a video of her and hubby sipping champagne on a private jet.

As many Liverpool fans were sleeping pretty rough (below), there was a photo of Fabinho (left) celebrating his move with Jorge Mendes, king of football’s meat-trading business.

Mendes (below right) probably earned enough from the deal to reimburse the costs of every Liverpool fan who made it to Ukraine.

The Anfield club are not shy in paying agents’ fees, having forked out £26.8million to intermediaries in the past two transfer windows, a table-topping Premier League figure.

Fabinho was probably coveted by many, but maybe not strongly enough by Jose Mourinho, a Mendes client, confidant and close friend.

The signing seems like a coup for Liverpool and, for his part, Mendes deserves paying.

But as they pose for pictures with their talented cash cows, it is hard not to baulk at the sums being siphoned off by the middlemen. Across at Everton, there is talk of Mino Raiola playing a big role in future recruitment. If that’s the case, the £12.1m they paid agents in the past two windows will seem like small beer. Liverpool’s spend on agents in those two windows was part of a £211m Premier League total that is only going to swell. Mendes has every right to beam with Fabinho and there is nothing wrong with the Brazilian celebrating his move. But, for me, there was something that jarred at a time when the social media favoured by Fabinho was awash with stories of fans’ struggles getting to and from the Champions League Final. Of the many tales, a simple one struck a chord.

With a picture of the item, a Liverpool fan posted this on Twitter: “Found this wallet at the final in Kiev … lots of money and cards.

Does anyone know Daniel Maguire so I can get it back to him?”

Daniel was located and the finder, a fan named Damon Crane, posted it to him. “From Kyiv to Lviv to Krakow to Bratislava – your wallet has been on an adventure. Will be home with you by 1pm tomorrow mate.”

There was probably not a Liverpool supporter in the stadium who would not have done the same, yet it is still an uplifting snapshot of the decency and camaraderie of the common fan.

The common fan will love Fabinho (above, with his wife) if he performs, won’t care how much he is paid or how many jets he takes. He is allowed to do things in style.

He is a top professional and his lavish contract should not rankle – the lavish cream-off for the middlemen, a small fraction of which could make the life of the common fan more affordable, should.