Stretford and some reports are claiming he is behind the strikers latest unrest. It was widely believed that the first transfer request made by Wayne Rooney in 2010 was in fact orchestrated by his agent Paul Stretford. Sir Alex Ferguson is clearly not a fan of the agent and in 2010 after the initial Rooney saga, the boss made it clear who he blamed, he said, “When your top players come towards the end of their contracts you have to do something to get them a new one. They are all the same. “You have to deal with agents of this world today which is difficult. The players are no problem. There is no problem with players. Some agents are difficult.” Sir Alex later went on to say Stretford is “not the most popular man in the world” He continued, “Some young people today take bad advice,” Who Is Paul Stretford To say Stretford has a controversial background would be an understatement, previous clients have included Stan Collymore and Andy Cole, both were left very unhappy. Andy Cole said, “When Sir Alex Ferguson made reference to players who have agents living in their pockets, it was aimed at Stretford. “And I know better than anyone what Stretford is like because he was my agent. I was his biggest name player for a long time, the person who made him real money. “Stretford got to work, lining up Manchester United. He became a big part of my life. He got me a British record transfer to United in 1995. Before I left, Sellars told me that Stretford would be brilliant for as long as I was making him money. I remembered that later. “I moved to Manchester and stayed at Stretford’s house as he made me part of the family. I thought it was a generous gesture – I later found out that he had been deducting rent from my earnings. “My agent was influential in every area of my life. He invited me to family functions and controlled what I said to the media. “He hated the idea of anyone getting close to me, just as he does with Wayne. He was very domineering, but I let him be like that because I thought he had my best interest at heart. “He told journalists that they couldn’t ask certain things and lined up commercial deals. He gave me advice about everything I did. I made him so much money that he became a wealthy man, but I didn’t mind because I considered him to be a decent agent and a friend. “But Stretford obviously considered me to be a client and nothing more, because as soon as I stopped making him money I didn’t hear from him. I expected much better. He was a small-time agent when he took me on and used my name to attract other players. “Stretford wasn’t motivated by friendships, but money. I wasn’t the only player who stopped hearing from him when I’d served my purpose. People don’t speak well of him. I’ve seen him a few times since and he’s had nothing more than a grunt from me. “There’s a lot of second guessing going on with Rooney at the moment, but Stretford will be very close to the decision making. He’ll have a plan for Wayne on and off the field. “Stretford was representing Collymore at the same time as Cole, and it was the former who was supposed to be making a move to United until the club changed its plans and went for Cole instead.” It doesn’t end there either, in 2008 the FA banned Stretford after their commission found him guilty of 7 out of 9 charges against him, the commission said he had, “The commission found that Mr Stretford encouraged Mr Rooney and his parents to enter into a representation agreement with Proactive Sports Management Limited on 17 July 2002 although he knew Mr Rooney was still then under contract with Pro-Form Sports Management Limited.” The charges were all surrounding the way Stretford became Rooney’s agent and included making false and/or misleading statements to the police and in court. An FA statement said, “The commission found that Mr Stretford had made a misleading witness statement and had given untruthful evidence in court in criminal proceedings in Warrington Crown Court, particularly in relation to the existence, dates and nature of those representation agreements dated 17 July 2002 and 19 September 2002.” He also attempted to have Rooney enter into an eight year contract, despite FA rules clearly stating agents and players can only enter 6 year contacts. Future For Wayne Rooney Now we are hearing Chelsea are interested in a big money move for Wayne Rooney, Stretford might be considering how he can further line his pockets. Based on previous clients, money will be the most important factor to Stretford, however i hope i’m wrong and that Rooney isn’t being influenced to move. Any agent worth their price tag would be advising Rooney to stay at Manchester United, earn a good wage and play in the biggest competitions. I don’t think Wayne will leave Old Trafford this year, however i also don’t believe it’s the last time his agent will see an opportunity to cash in on Rooney before he retires.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 21:16:52 +0000
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