Despite the fact that Covid 19 is still following us, the competitions have already started in multiple countries while the transfer period is still in open.
We often ask ourselves: who should I trust? We are still without a club and we are starting to be nervous because most of our friends, former teammates have already found a club for the season.
You have an agent but you still don’t have a suitable club where you can start your season? You need to ask yourself a few questions why is this so. We have to be really open to all the possibilities that the agent offers us, because it can happen easily that there won´t be another chance anytime soon. Not because the country agent is not looking for anything, but because the situation on the market is very difficult nowadays in comparison with previous years. Covid is making the situation only worse, as sponsors are not willing to pay more because they have lower sales. The current situation does not allow us to have huge events in the presence of more spectators than before which means the sponsors are not as interested, which means the clubs budget has decreased. Another limiting factor is that players who want to get to Europe have to go through much more paperwork and it is very difficult to enter certain countries.
If you plan to change agents, then you have to consider really well whether the one representing you at the moment is the right one for you. It’s not that easy to find the right one. Should I trust the one who just threw an offer on the social network? You really need to verify all the facts. Look at his website, what players is he representing and ask directly the clients which the agent represents if they are satisfied.
Should you sign with an agent who has a license or an agent who doesn’t?
Not all agents who have a license also have contacts (an agent who wants a license will pay a fee or take the necessary test and can represent the player). Maybe even an agent who does not have a license has a large network of contacts around the world or in his area (country) where he operates. You need to find a suitable balance.
You have several options to choose from, you only have to choose what suits you better and what suits you personally:
A licensed agent, an unlicensed agent, an agent who has contacts in only one country, an agent who has a network of contacts and cooperates with other agents around the world.
Everything has its advantages and disadvantages.
You have to determine in advance in which country you want to play in the future and look for an agent who really has those contacts there. You have verified that he has already signed several players to that particular country, which he focuses on
You can sign an agreement with one or more agents, but you must decide in which country the agent will represent you. You don’t want to get in a situation where several agents will offer you to the same club. It doesn’t do a good name for you or the agent representing you.
You need to set some rules before your agent starts offering you to various teams, to avoid misunderstandings during the cooperation. The agent must know as much information as possible about you. You have to tell the agent what injuries you have had so far. In which country do you want to play, whether you are married, traveling with your family or single and traveling alone, whether you have a European passport. If you are not from Europe, what conditions are you willing to accept (you need to set realistic goals according to the current market situation). Many players are happy to get any club without considering the contract just, so they don’t get left behind. You have to determine how often would you like to stay in touch with your agent, in order to avoid a situation where you just write to the agent that he didn’t contact you for 3 months and your cooperation is over. It must also be in your interest to ask the agent what the situation is on the market. Not every day, but at least once a week to find out if there is something new, or whether he communicates with some clubs where there could be a potential interest in you. All this will facilitate cooperation and you and your agent will be satisfied. You must also see the interest of your agent to find you your desired club and not just to have you on his list.
If you want to keep the contact with the agent, you need to look for one that does not represent 200 players but ideally around 20-40, so he can manage it all. It is not a rule that an elite agent will spend a lot of time with you if he has much bigger stars signed than you. This means your value and the interest of agents / clubs increases in the way you work on yourself and what results you achieve.
You can find a club for yourself without an agent. But if you want to focus only on your performance and the sport you are doing, it is better to have an agent who will do the job for you and leave the hours of writing, calling and handling to him. You will also feel better.
Finding the right one is not easy and we keep our fingers crossed for finding the proper one for YOU.
