Skipper Luke Chambers has hit out at some agents who he believes haven’t got the best interests of their players - particularly youngsters - at heart.

“A good agent is someone who has the best interests of a player at heart. Sadly there are not many out there who think like that,” Chambers wrote in the programme for Saturday’s game against Stoke City.

“You used to have to be licensed to be an agent. Now anyone can do the job and there are loads out there doing it. Far too many.

“That can’t be right but with the money in the game, that draws people to it. People are on the look out to make money out of football whatever way they can.”

Chambers questions the role agents, or intermediaries as they’re now officially known, play in young players’ careers and says he tries to advise Town’s academy youngsters, a number of whom live or have lived in an annex to his house.

“Agents have a role to play at certain levels and there are some good ones out there but if I knew as a young player what I know now, I would have probably changed a lot of decisions I made,” the 33-year-old added.

“I’m trying to help the young players here in that respect. You get kids here, 16, 17 who get a contract. Well, it’s not down to an agent that they have got a contract is it? So why are they getting paid? How can you take money off a kid who is earning a couple of hundred quid a week?

“There are agents that will try and get a player moved because they will be on a cut of any transfer fee. There are agents that will have connections at certain clubs and make deals happen there. It’s all wrong but it’s another side of the game. Agents are a drain on the game in my opinion.

“I think it’s better to have former players working as agents. They have had a career in the game and know the ins and outs of it and I think that counts for a lot.”

Photo: TWTD

TwentyTwo added 11:53 - Feb 19 We all know all agents care about is profit.
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Suffolkboy added 12:00 - Feb 19 Luke is of course correct : agents operate to their own agenda almost totally ,and just as in many other walks of life the naive ,innocent and inexperienced are at their mercy . The unfortunate machinations behind the Sala episode with Cardiff and Nantes are all too revealing and evident of the money grabbing which goes on ! COYB
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Guthrum added 12:03 - Feb 19 It's an area of the game which really ought to be properly regulated. Why was the licence requirement abolished?
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Michael101 added 12:03 - Feb 19 Sounds like he is getting his future sorted,and who could blame him ,every player has Ashley self life so why not look ahead.going by what he has said in the interview i think he would do s good job .
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senduntd added 12:11 - Feb 19 Can always remember George Burley saying this many years ago. Its got worse In recent times, too many cowboys involved. Should be properly regulated by the FA.
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midastouch added 12:35 - Feb 19 Well said Chambo. And it's nice to hear that's he looking out for the young players as far as he can by passing on his own advice, knowledge and experience. When Chamberlain hangs up his boots I think he'd be a great person to have around the club in some capacity as really seems to genuinely care for the club.
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midastouch added 13:01 - Feb 19 And I obviously meant Chambers not Chamberlain! Half asleep on the job today!
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Tractorchef added 13:34 - Feb 19 Michael101 he's clearly go off the idea of being a referee! I think he's spot on with regards both though.
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herfie added 14:03 - Feb 19 Spot on LC. Understand that, having recognised the money-grabbing free for all, that quickly became the norm following the bonkers decision in 2015 to de-regulate agents (or more accurately ‘brokers'), FIFA is currently looking at how best to reimpose regulations. Hooray! Let's hope they don't revert to type, and get the much needed action to re-regulate taken ASAP. As a minimum, would have thought that agents's fees should be capped; that they should be required to undertake training and pass an exam to be licensed. We'll see! In the meantime hopefully our youngsters will seek the likes of Luke's advice when approached by:“hey, lad, I'm only an honest broker - but I'll get you a good deal”. .......and me, of course.🤝🤑

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Saxonblue74 added 14:33 - Feb 19 Agents and TV companies are not only destroying Football but sport generally. Players "earning" 500k+ per week and both agent and player receiving a percentage of transfer fees have pushed the cost of football through the roof. The elite are getting super rich whilst others struggle for survival without the aid of a "sugar daddy" to keep them competitive. It filters all the way down to grass roots with tales of village teams paying £100 per week to players.....ridiculous! Football is full of leaches sucking our clubs dry. Just look at the number of staff on the sideline these days. The dust-up at Carrow rd is a prime example, PL and Norwich "Head of performance" and their "Goalkeeping coach"?! Used to be a manager and Substitutes! Is it any wonder that most clubs run at a loss? Who are the Ipad wielding masses in the dugouts week in, week out?!

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runningout added 16:42 - Feb 19 Agents are a disease killing football
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blueboy1981 added 16:58 - Feb 19 ......... as is in life, money dictates, and eventually ruins everything. Football, and the money involved, has become totally immoral - and out of all decency, should not be encouraged / condoned by the paying public. Betting- has distorted it even further. Entertainment ? yes - but it's all become a huge Dick Turpin exercise.
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eddiespearitt03 added 17:10 - Feb 19 Maybe the agents are killing just a part of the football industry. That is just a small part. It is also the journeymen footballers who offer very little to a football club that are sucking the money out of a club. Then there are the football club owners trying to run an under-nourished football club with one poor decision after another. Greed is rife right across the board and it is the supporter that always suffers.

1

happybeingblue added 17:12 - Feb 19 parents of these kids are equally to blame likes of ben knight should be playing competitive football when is he ever gonna get that at a club like man city,they are only thinking of the £ as well
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SmithersJones added 17:33 - Feb 19 Agree with most of what he says, but not convinced by the “former players make better agents” narrative, any more than I was by his similar comments re referees. From what I can see there are quite a few ex players now operating as agents and I don't see any evidence that they're better. I'd say that an understanding of the world outside football would be a benefit to an agent, not a drawback.

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blueboy1981 added 17:42 - Feb 19 Not the best of players - but a thoroughly honest, and dedicated Club man, through and through. A credit to himself and ITFC. Not all, if any, players would speak out against Agents for obvious reasons. Some of you youngsters who haven't even made the grade yet - take note .... !!
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carlo88 added 17:47 - Feb 19 I've always thought LC would make a good manager
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Hiltzkooler added 19:25 - Feb 19 Fair play to Chambers for sparking debate.....would like to know what initiated it......however my regard for Luke's comments stops there.... it is a buyer and sellers market which generates intermediates or brokers...it's a fact of life ...brokers get inbetween the buyer and seller...however they don't if the seller “owns” his asset... It's become custom rather than necessary at the mid to lower end of the market...if the players armed themselves then they reduce the element of exploitation But there is a harsh reality that some players simply need to grow up ... how many of our kids have sh///y employment contracts reflecting the day and age of modern employment...zero hour contracts, fixed shift standard hours, agency pick up and drop....I could go on... I don't like the parasites of football, but as pointed out by other commentators this is multi faceted in football where money drains out of the game for seemingly pointless roles ....clubs and players have responsibilities....a contract of employment needs to recognise the resource as much as the resource needs to recognise the employment

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Pecker added 20:05 - Feb 19 Perhaps he would like to give back half his wages for his performances this season as he says there is to much money in football. I guess not.
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Warkys_Tash added 20:15 - Feb 19 There is one agent in particular who springs to mind. All of our players under him ended up transfered to ‘bigger' clubs & that was never in Towns best interest. And sometimes players left here way too early. But always he made a nice cut. I'll leave others to speculate who that person is..
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cat added 20:26 - Feb 19 Agents are parasites who just feed off someone else's talent, or is this Chambers latest drive to promote players into other footballing roles. Last week it was refs, wonder what next weeks installment will be?, management, tv pundit or pantomime donkey (nayyyy) in all honesty who really gives a flying one. On a more serious note, I heard a rumour Chambo charges a grand a week for that cosy Annex, talk about exploitation. Could be worse though, could be the mother in law!

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ShropshireBluenago09 added 21:11 - Feb 19 Indirect comment on Knudsen's agent?
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ArnieM added 21:58 - Feb 19 Chambers is an excellent Club captain IMO ad he is looking out for this Clubs youngsters. As for agents. Well they're leeches in the game and should be made illegal .
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ITFCsince73 added 22:55 - Feb 19 Chambo. Enough of this rubbish. Start giving 110% dedication to get your team out of this huge mess it currently finds itself in before its to late. Your thoughts on the above subject aren't really needed. Your thoughts on how we are going to avoid dropping into third tier of football are far more important than constant no news stories to reporters.
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madmouse1959 added 00:59 - Feb 20 Another pointless article.
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