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.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

CAA only recently jumped into the field of representing soccer players in 2007, when David Beckham came to the U.S. CAA was in association with Beckham’s Manager, Simon Fuller, and was in charge of international marketing for Beckham.  Since Beckham came to CAA, one of the English Premiere Leagues top teams, Chelsea FC, has also become a CAA client.  Chelsea and others are looking to break into the growing American soccer scene.

Gestifute was founded in 1996 by FIFA agent Jorge Mendes.  Mendes is now in charge of the many high profile clients and coaches.  He is looking to find the talented youth players in Europe and is now expanding to America.  Gestifute also represents player and coaches like Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea/Portuguese National team), Anderson (Manchester United/Brazilian National Team), Nani (Manchester United/Portuguese National Team), Deco (Chelsea FC/Portuguese National Team), Ricardo Quaresma (FC Porto/ Portuguese National Team), and 2002 World Cup-winning head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari (Chelsea FC).

This is a great thing for American soccer players and fans.  It shows that American soccer is finally accepted overseas and that foreign teams are looking for talented American soccer players.  Soccer is seen as a global sport that has been played all over the world for centuries, but America seemed to be late in catching on.  Football, not Futbol, has been the sport Americans are known for around the world, but that is beginning to change.  The emergence of Major League Soccer (MLS), an American soccer league, has now given domestic and foreign players an arena to play in.  Many great Americans develop in the MLS and others are now playing at great clubs overseas (Beasley, McBride, Onyewu, Donovan did but went back to the MLS).

Before the last World Cup, the USA was ranked as high as 8th in the World. The USA is now ranked 30th in the world (as of the most current FIFA rankings last month), and many young US players are playing overseas.  I witnessed this first hand as one of my Roanoke Star Premiere teammates, Danny Karbassiyoon, went abroad to London and played for Arsenal FC after high school.  Danny was nasty and had the ability to play at any level, being one of the first American born players at Arsenal.  He is now the head scout for Arsenal in the US.

The MLS may have salaries that are a lot less than foreign leagues, but the money will only increase as soccer grows in America.  The EPL and other foreign leagues pay soccer players just as much as the NFL pays its players.  It would certainly be worthwhile for American agencies to invest in soccer, however an agency would need international “connections” overseas to do so.  The partnership between CAA, one of America’s leading sports/ entertainment agencies, and Gestifute might be the spark that ignites the fire.

The merger between CAA and Gestifute proves to solidify the statement that American soccer is growing.  The international community is now starting to recognize American players and accepting them and encouraging them to play internationally.  With the arrival of Beckham, the MLS has picked up and gained fans and approval by other players.  This merger is a great sign for soccer in America.  I expect other American sports and entertainment agencies to add soccer to their sports divisions.  It is not only marketable overseas, as Americans are catching on and the amount of talented American soccer players will only increase.

CAA Gets Kickin In Soccer from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

This would mean that football teams may only be allowed to field 5 foreign players in their starting 11, with the other 6 being from the home country. However, there may be a tweaking of the rule for the English Leagues, as ‘home’ may branch out to the whole UK.

One of the reasons for this rule is to ensure that the countries such as England benefit from their own league. Despite having the richest, most competitive league and three of the four Champions League semi-finalists, they failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

This rule has already been implemented in other countries, such as Australia, where the A League only permits 3 foreign players on their entire roster.

So taking the most popular league in the world, the English Premier League, the question is how will the clubs be affected? One just needs to look at their closing day teams to see what clubs would need to make changes. [How '6+5' would hit the Premier League]

As you can see in the article above, only 7 out of 20 teams would have been able to keep their original lineups. There is no surprise then that the big clubs are opposed to this rule, as it will cost them significantly in adjusting their squads.

So just what will be the implication of this rule to players and agents alike?

Firstly, it will provide more opportunities to local players. Instead of being forced to lower division clubs, the players will most likely be moved around as the club must play at least 6 a game. However, the restriction for these players will be greater as the opportunities abroad will be limited.

Agents will have a tougher time selling their players abroad, but as previously mentioned, on a local scale an agent will be able to shop players around more and possibly prolong their career.

In regards to salaries, there is a possibility that at the higher end of players, they will increase. With a decrease in spots available, clubs will be scouring to secure the best and pay for it.

The intentions of FIFA are good. It should mean the leagues will be closer in competitiveness. However, agents should not be too disheartened to the restrictions imposed. There is plenty of upside for players with this rule. A club is not going to look abroad for an average player who has been dropped by a top flight club. However, an agent can use the 6+5 to their advantage by seeking the increased opportunities on a local scale.

6+5 = Opportunity? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Here in the USA, the MLS mid-season Transfer Window is rapidly approaching and I have been busy preparing for what always promises to be a hectic schedule. The Window is open from June 15^th – August 15^th.

In terms of what an Agent does immediately preceding this time, I can of course only speak from my own experience. Here is an overview:

• Confirm that all the Representation Agreements between Agent and player are up-to-date.
• Speak to the players and ensure they are happy where they are, or, if there are grievances, listen carefully and present them with realistic career advice.
• Ensure that all Resumes are current. If not, obtain the relevant statistics and add them to the document. Nothing looks worse than presenting a club with a Resume and then not knowing, for example, how many games one’s client has played this season, or how many goals he has scored.
• Make certain that all the DVD’s are readable and that any links to YouTube, etc., are correct.

Relating back to the technology point made above, one of the biggest and most beneficial changes I have noticed in my time as an Agent is soccer’s increasing willingness to embrace new ways of making the placement process more accurate and more efficient. By accurate, I mean that clubs no longer have to rely on making a judgment based purely on the examination of a player’s physical and sporting statistics included in his Resume and then invite him for a trial or even sign him only to discover that he perhaps was not quite the player they supposed him to be. And as to efficiency – I mean that with the advent of the internet and email there are now so many ways to get a DVD or video clip in front of a Chief Scout or Manager in hardly any time at all. Only last year, I was mailing DVD’s all around the world. This year I have uploaded most of the video clips onto a central website, and from there I can burn DVD’s and deliver them to the clubs almost immediately or send them the password and login information and they can view it for themselves instantly.

Several clubs with whom I deal will not look at a player without video footage, as they simply don’t want to take the risk. Because of this, it is very important to ensure one’s DVD library is current and well-stocked.

Technology adds a much-welcomed element to what used to be a laborious process. It can certainly add a frenetic element to being an Agent, but then, if you’re not willing to have such pressures in your work life you shouldn’t consider becoming an Agent!

Max Eppel is a soccer Players’ Agent Licensed by The FA. He runs his own California-based company, Max Eppel Soccer Agency LLC. For more information please visit www.maxeppelsocceragency.com.

Preparing For The MLS Mid-Season from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules