Finance guru: Man United being ‘held to ransom’ as £30m payout revealed
Man United have historically been held to ransom by agents and will be delighted if FIFA introduces a new cap on intermediary fees.
That is the view of finance guru Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the progress of FIFA’s proposed new system of curbs on agent power.
World football’s governing body announced in September last year that they planned to impose a number of new measures to combat rampant profiteering among intermediaries.
Among them was a three per cent limit on the cash intermediaries can earn from a player’s annual wages as well as a 10 per cent limit on any transfer fee they engineer.
But the Daily Mail reported last Friday (28 October) that FIFA are no closer to introducing the new regulations.
Plumley claims that United, who he explains have spent £30m on agents in the last three years, will be keen to see the wheels resume turning again.
“United tend to be one of the clubs who pay the most to agents,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“In the last three years, they have been pushing £30m. That is in a similar ballpark to Chelsea and Man City.
“They are the top three that have been held to ransom somewhat over agents’ fees. They’re about £5m or £10m ahead of the next bracket of clubs.
“Any cap FIFA are looking to introduce, in theory, reduce the amount that United will pay in agent fees. I suspect that clubs have got half an eye on this, for sure.
“Any money you can save is important. You are trying to squeeze every ounce out of every outgoing and get as much money in as possible.
“I think fees will come down a lot if this is formally introduced.“
In other news, Man United set sights on Max Aarons as price tag revealed