Delight at De Ligt ...but it’s all down to Raiola
THERE was a post on social media this week where Juventus fans were chanting the name of agent Mino Raiola.
The portly middleman at least had the good grace to look embarrassed as he got into a waiting car.
The reason for this quasi- hero worship was simple: Raiola (right) is the man behind the £75million signing of Matthijs de Ligt.
Stranglehold
Amid serious competition for the signature of the young Ajax skipper, the Dutch-italian had ensured that the Old Lady was smiling in Turin.
And this was a very public thank you from the Juve fans as he chose them over Manchester United, PSG and Barcelona.
Never mind the fact that de Ligt had been impressed by a personal plea from Cristiano Ronaldo to join him in northern Italy. Anyway, Raiola – a man
LAST WORD ... who looks for all the world like he has just stepped out on a Sunday morning following a heavy night to fetch a loaf of bread – is now being feted in the same way that is usually reserved for trophy-winning managers.
It is but the latest part in a worrying trend that has its roots in the stranglehold top agents have on the game.
Last season, covering a match at Wolves, I actually spotted a bloke wearing old gold with “Mendes” written on the back.
That was in reference to
Jorge, the original super-agent, who has a cosy professional al relationship with the club’s owners, Fosun International.
Mendes, in case you were wondering, also has massive influence in at least two other clubs in this country, as well as considerable connections at Atletico Madrid and Benfica, among others.
Never mind managers, chief executives and owners of Premier League clubs. The men who really wield the power are those with the access to the best players.
Let’s face it, it doesn’t take a genuis to spot De Ligt’s potential.
He’s young, has all the credentials to be a top-class defender for years to come and he’s already earned his spurs playing for Holland’s largest club. Which is why there has been a battle to s secure his signature.
So we are now entering a phase in football where agents such as Raiola and Mendes can control the fortunes of the b biggest clubs, merely by sta starving them of the best talent. Think about it for a moment.
The right- thinking portion of football recoiled at the notion that Raiola t rousered £ 41m f rom engineering Paul Pogba’s move back to Manchester United last year.
But what would be the opportunity cost of tossing his invoice into the bin?
Manchester United, Liverpool or whoever wouldn’t get a shout on the next wonderkid off the conveyor belt of talent that seems to be the sole preserve of these well-connected fixers.
That’s why clubs roll over and have their tummies tickled.
Somehow these fellas wheedle themselves into positions where it is best to keep them sweet – or else.
The penalty for not doing so is to potentially miss out on the next big thing.
Football fans aren’t all stupid. To the watching world, Juventus supporters might appear to have taken leave of their senses, chanting the name of the agent who delivered the latest stellar signing.
The fact is that they were nodding towards the modern-day reality of the transfer market – that agents are now capable of dictating the fortunes of the biggest clubs.
And that is a sobering thought for us all.
AARON RAMSEY showed by his actions in Turin just why it is that his Wales team-mate Gareth Bale now finds himself struggling at Real Madrid.
Ramsey (right) stepped out of his comfort zone and gave a press conference in Italian, having taken lessons after his signing. Sure, it was basic, but he had made an effort. It’ll endear him immediately to the Juve fans and the media.
Bale, though, hasn’t bothered. He has let his football do the talking. The fact he can’t explain himself in anything but English after six years in
Spain means people aren’t willing to listen now.
Stellar