Agents slow down transfers

The process of signing players and building up squads is being slowed down by agents says Graham Turner.

In a timely article in the Worcester News, the Hereford United manager reveals that in his opinion football agents are making life a misery for managers. The agents look to push their players to where the money is.

"They think their players are going to sign for Man Utd or Real Madrid and are then left searching for a club when the season is about to start," Turner explained.

"Agents are now far more prevalent than a few years ago. I would say that about 75 per cent of players now have agents.

"It is really frustrating because the agents also need to see the contracts and sign them. It all takes time and managers want to have their squads sorted out for the first day of pre-season. The easiest way would be to make contact with the player.

"There are some good agents but there are also a lot of bad agents who are not giving their players the best advice."

Turner describes why negotiations with players can take so long because of the need to send copies of contracts to agents as well as players.

"We have sent out the contracts in the post having verbally agreed deals, but we have been in this position before where we believed we had the player sorted out only for it all to fall through."

Pre-season at Edgar Street starts on July 6 and Turner hopes to have beefed up his squad in advance of that date. And with the new Conference rules regarding the so-called transfer window he may need to sign players on non-contract terms as well as regular deals.

"It will be something new for all the clubs and will be something of a learning process," says Turner.

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