Without a match this past weekend, most of the attention has been focused on where Christian Benteke will be playing next season. His agent spoke candidly, and on the record, about the possibility of the player moving on this summer.
In general, football agents are under-regulated and out of control. When an agent facilitates a move, s/he generally receives a substantial fee. In Benteke’s case, his agent has as much – or more – to gain by his client moving to a bigger club.
Hypothetically, let’s say Benteke’s agent facilitates a move to Manchester City. The agent gets a handsome fee, and Benteke will receive a hefty pay rise. Now, let’s say Benteke is behind Sergio Agüero, Carlos Tévez, and Edin Džeko on the depth chart. The player falls out of form; and, while still at a young age, is looking for another move. While I believe Benteke is good enough to play for any club in England, and would probably score more goals with better teammates, a move like I just theorized may not be ideal in the long term.
In American sports, agents are closely regulated by the players’ associations of the various leagues. The leagues are basically union shops. In any other union shop, the primary job is to negotiate wages. Since the unions cede that role to the individual players and their agents, it retains the right to regulate them. Agents must be certified, and their commissions are set in stone by the union. Many agents in US sports earn more for negotiating endorsements for their clients than they do negotiating salaries.
Football is not a union shop like sports in the US. Conversely, the leagues and international bodies have more power in some areas because they don’t go through collective bargaining. FIFA has regulations for agents on the books, but they are clearly not strong enough. The amount paid on agent fees by clubs is staggering. Portsmouth paid more in agent fees to win the FA Cup five years ago than the club is worth now.
For a club like Villa, rebuilding becomes so much more difficult when agents are angling; and, in all likelihood, arranging for transfers through back channels and intermediaries. When a club signs a player, they assume the risk that the player will perform during the length of his contract. If the player performs well, frequently the club only reaps a portion of the benefit. Sure the club receives a profit, but then they must roll the dice on replacements.
The whole thing is even more frustrating for us fans. If our heroes are too heroic, they’re doomed to leave faster than Clark Kent can change in a phone booth.
The only way I can see Benteke staying is if the club has the money to surround him with the players to make a serious push for Europe next season, and not another raft of the young and hungry. I can’t see that happening. In that case, maybe it’s for the best that he does go. I’m just glad I didn’t buy a lime shirt with a “20” on the back.
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