No, I’m talking about Christmas and the associated holidays. I’m talking about the European Soccer Transfer Window!
From January 1st to January 31st, Soccer Agents and Managers work ferociously around the clock to complete deals which may see players sign that lucrative multi-year contract with a massive club or go searching the lower leagues for some first team action. Either way, the window (as a hopeful future soccer agent) is an exciting time.
In the past years, it has been Chelsea who has been spending big, but this year a new player has emerged- Manchester City. Recently bought out by the Abu Dahbi United group, City are flush, and are looking to add the best players in the world to their lineup to ensure they bring a title to the other team in Manchester. Having already brought in superstar Brazilian Robinho from Real Madrid for over 30 million pounds, they have targeted an assortment of players, even offering to buy Spanish keeper Iker Casillas for 150 million euros, which is the buyout clause in his contract. Casillas himself would have earned 13 million euros a year.
So the question is, who will be at City come the start of Feb? Players such as English based Jermaine Defoe and Craig Bellamy have reportedly been on the shopping list, not to mention the idea of bringing in more superstars from overseas.
If like me, you hope to one day be representing soccer athletes, then I suggest you check out the FIFA website. It has all the information needed in regards to getting certified.
A great read is How to Succeed as a Sports Agent – Mel Stein, which I have reviewed previously on this site. Having been successful in this area, Mel does a great job breaking down the areas in which you would encounter when representing athletes.
I also suggest reading the articles of this site’s regular contributor Max Eppel, who operates his own agency out of California. Whilst all of his articles are a great read, in this particular instance, I suggest ‘The Life Of A Soccer Agent During The Transfer Window‘. A search for his name will find all the articles he has written.
Finally, if you want to keep up all the happenings, I suggest the following sites for all the news: Soccernet and Football365.
One reply on “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”
It will be an interesting window as more teams will be sellers than buyers. I think you have to look no further than the signings Man United made to see the global economic crisis has made its way into world football. The emphasis will now be more on teams being able to produce talent out of their academies and I believe that is why a team like Aston Villa can possibly crack the BIg 4.