transfer window summer 2013

my first transfer window opens on Monday less than 1 week from now, my hopes are that Iam going to be busy but at this point I'm not sure:

- Most clubs/agents start to prepare for the windows 6-8 weeks before it actually opens. Combination of my inexperience and that it took a f'cking month for my federation to issue my license makes me feel unprepared. If I make any transfers it will mostly be of the "pussle type", a club looks for a certain position and either I have the mandate of that specific profile from either an agent colleague or a club.  And maybe also the "last minute transfer" were a player gets injured or sold last minute...

- Statistically it usually takes around 4 full windows before an newly licensed agent makes their first transfer. This statistic is slightly miscued due to many new agents dont become active directly.


On top of that the fact that the boss of the network which I am part of pushes me allot... and as I at some point wrote the star agents already started, the word is that Jorge Mendes has cashed in between 15-20 Mil € so far this summer...



Pressure is on

tips from the coach

In a way it feels ridiculous to start giving peeps tips, i have only been doing this for a little bit more than a month. During this short time a have picked up a thing or two: 

1. Sport management (I prefer the term agent business) purely runs on human capital, its all about personal trust and who u know. Even to that degree that the product it self happens to be humans, anyway I cant think of another industry were personal relationships are so fundamental (I could image maybe the narcotics trade).  

A big obstacle to overcome is getting in touch with the clubs and the responsible person for the transfer budget. This person has different names depending on geographic location:

- Sport Director (western europe) 

- Manager (often UK)

- President (eastern europe)

- GM or general manager (the states)

although titles differ they have one thing incommon; its f*cking impossible to get hold of them. Try finding Galliani's email adress and phone nr on acmilan website... This has been a major problem for me till I came up with a small trick. 

= Instead of calling the reception of the club asking for the GM's contact info, I tell them I am agent that represent a club that want to buy their worst and most expensive player. Voila ! 

2. Be aware of the 2 business card standard. Most agents but also GM's have 2 business cards. One which they give to people they dont want to be bothered by with only adress and land line nr to the reception and one with personal email, cell phone and bbm. 

I travelled to another country to meet a GM at a club once, 1 week later I wanted to call him looked at the business card I was so happy with receiving and it was less info on it than the yellow pages.