‘Agents are a drain on the game’ - Chambers trying to advise Town’s young talents
Luke Chambers is out of contract at the end of this season, though the club do have an option to extend his deal by a further 12 months. Photo: Pagepix - Credit: Pagepix Ltd
Ipswich Town captain Luke Chambers says he is trying to offer the club’s next generation of players advice on agents – people who he believes are ‘a drain on the game’.
Luke Woolfenden has signed a new deal at Ipswich Town until 2022. Picture: PAGEPIX LTD - Credit: Pagepix Ltd
Defender Luke Woolfenden signed a new contract until 2022 over the weekend, following on from young trio Teddy Bishop, Jack Lankester and Harry Wright penning extended deals.
In addition, teenagers Brett McGavin, Kai Brown and Idris El Mizouni have all signed their first professional contracts
Chambers, whose own deal is set to expire this summer, said: “I said recently that I would like to see more players going into refereeing when they have finished. I also think former players have a lot to offer as agents as well.
MORE: Woolfenden signs new deal at Blues
“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.
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“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.
Teddy Bishop has signed a new contract with Ipswich Town. Picture: ITFC - Credit: Archant
“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.
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“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.
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“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 on 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.”
Kai Brown has signed his first professional contract with Ipswich Town. Picture: ITFC - Credit: Archant
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He added: “As I said, 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.”
