Player Agents – Ideally the Gatekeeper and Trailblazer to and within Professional Football, But…

…a bad reputation precedes them, and not without reason. Insanely inflated transfer commissions, virtually no professional qualification required (just €500 deposited with the DFB and an adequate police clearance certificate, and you're in), and many well-known industry figures who publicly demonstrate their poor manners. And if national laws don't suit them, they simply relocate their business to the Netherlands and are able to structure contracts even more in their own favor.

This impression arises if you follow the popular headlines from the scene, and it does apply to some agents. Unfortunately, this also does an injustice to many honest agents who work with their "stars" in Germany on a basis of trust. In many respects, these stars are not easy to handle, so the agents' fee is often also "pain money."

The business moves between the two poles described above, and since there is, in a sense, no entry barrier for this profession, you can find a list of over 1,000 agency businesses in Germany alone just on Transfermarkt.de.

What service, what added value can a player agent offer his protégé?

Does this relationship stand on a solid foundation?

What are the dilemmas involved?

Ideally, a player agent identifies his talent early on and has a large network to find an adequate club for his client. To do this, he needs sound knowledge and good judgment regarding footballing qualities and personal characteristics, in order to adequately assess potential too.

Dilemma 1: Given the large number of available agents, it's a balancing act to, on the one hand, be completely honest with the player and, on the other hand, still bind him into a relationship of trust under German law. There is a risk that competitors will sweet-talk the player, win him over, but later have to disappoint him, because they were acting opportunistically at the time.

If the club and the player are basically a good fit and both sides want to work together, then the agent's second core competency comes into play. Because in this phase, or for this part of the business, he should have broad knowledge of contract details and variants. The standard provisions of a contract can be found in various templates, for example also in a DFB model contract. Beyond that, however, there are almost inexhaustible possibilities when it comes to drafting. Professional player contracts contain detailed agreements on salaries, bonus payments, and image rights. They can bind players for years with strict termination and transfer conditions. In a way, they reflect the current commercial intensity of professional football.

In the course of drafting the contract, the player agent's negotiating skill and communication strength are also called for. A feel for all parties involved is essential here and may well decide whether an engagement succeeds or fails.

Dilemma 2: The club's upper and lower limits are certainly stretchable to a certain degree, but a player agent's commission puts a strain on the financial framework of the whole construct. If the player's representative acts too greedily, contract negotiations can fail; if he is too accommodating, on the other hand, it can lead to the player's dissatisfaction and also harm his own work ethic. This can subsequently develop into a worse service.Assuming a contract is concluded, the agent then enters the phase of support within the contractual relationship. This differs, in terms of the essential topics and the maintenance of contact, from the period before the contract was signed, and must be shaped very individually. Some players need frequent contact and a lot of feedback, while others feel disturbed by this and want less intensive exchange.

In my view, a good agent must pay attention not only to the desired number of contacts and the feedback requested, but must also recognize, based on good empathy and the right questions, when which kind of support is appropriate.

This also includes advice on the use of social media. In this context, it is important to create as professional a presence as possible, not least in order to position and develop the player's personal brand accordingly. Beyond that, getting socially involved in public life can be worthwhile both for the player's reputation and for keeping him grounded. In addition, it is especially important for young talents to always have a second leg to stand on — that is, to build an alternative professional foundation, whether through parallel training or academic study.

Dilemma 3: The agent only profits if the football career is successful. Further education or training may get in the way of footballing development and, in case of doubt, will not be adequately encouraged by the agent. The player then moves in a sterile "football bubble" and loses sight of "real" life. At the end of a career, the player then almost inevitably suffers a kind of reality shock. If a high standard of living was established during the player's career, the risk of social decline is great. In many cases, this has already led to personal bankruptcy.

So far, all I have heard from agents on this point is that they contact their protégés more or less often. But can they also support their clients in the best possible way? I am convinced that good cooperation with a coach would be maximally beneficial here. And that goes for all sides. The player/talent benefits from a clearer view/assessment of the situation. The agent gets a client who is better developed and more satisfied on a personal level, and thus also a more capable athlete. Much more important for both, however, is the strengthened relationship of trust. And ultimately the club benefits too. It gets a stronger player, better-quality competition for positions, and a higher level of performance in training sessions and matches.

Caution: I strongly advise against having the coach and the agent be part of the same organization, or even the same person, or against a coach provided by the club. That would put trustworthy communication off balance right from the start. For the same reason, the coach's fee must never, under any circumstances, be tied to any performance by the player or to his footballing development! It should be set on an hourly basis, with the scope of the engagement worked out in the initial conversations. I am happy to answer any questions on this topic.

Finally, there is one more step in the course of a career to discuss, one in which the agent's support is especially important: the transfer.

When changing clubs, the same qualities of the agent are relevant as with a first engagement, except this process is somewhat more complex, since the interests of the selling club also have to be taken into account. But another dilemma arises here, one that is somewhat different in nature:

Dilemma 4: In the event of a transfer, the agent profits as a percentage of the transfer fee and of the player's salary. But is a transfer as such, or a move to the club paying the highest transfer fee and the highest salary, always the most sensible one? Of course the agent will not openly say so, but isn't his shirt closer to him than his coat?

In summary, one can say that an agent should have the following qualities, or should combine them within his team:

1. Football expertise, ideally coaching qualifications, and good judgment

2. Legal know-how

3. Social competence and strong communication skills

4. A good and extensive network in professional football

5. Unconditional integrity

Unfortunately, a player also finds himself facing a dilemma:

Which agent is the right one for me?

Agents are putting themselves forward earlier and earlier to bind talents to themselves. Nine-year-olds are said to have already been given equipment sponsorship deals. Of course, this doesn't happen entirely selflessly. As we know from my last post, identifying a talent at that age is nearly impossible, and in the case of early-stage development it is already taken to absurd lengths. An agent at such an early stage can only be counterproductive.

In my view, an agent only makes sense once it's a matter of finding a first club for an amateur or professional contract. Of course, I am aware that agents are in competition with one another and that talents are few and far between. It is therefore understandable when agents already hold talks with 15-year-olds.

Attention, dear parents:

Any approach made at an earlier point in time, however tempting it may sound, you and your child should absolutely block!

With that, we have outlined a sensible point in time for engaging an agent a bit more clearly, but we still haven't named a criterion for who is honest and whether a cooperation can be fruitful.

At this point, it is advisable to obtain information from third parties or ask for references.

An agent who acts transparently at this stage lays the foundation for a trusting collaboration.

And without trust, it simply won't work!

I look forward to taking up another topic in talent development with you next week under my column "So schaut's aus." Until then! Stay healthy, and always a good match!