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Chelsea Coach Ray Wilkins: Agents Are A Part Of The Modern Game
Ancelotti's assistant defends size of agents' fees…
01-Dec-2009 10:58:31 PM
Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins has spoken out in defence of the fees paid out by the club to agents last season.
The Blues shelled out £9,562,223 to players' representatives last season, second only to Manchester City, who paid out around £12m, according to figure released by the Premier League.
Much of that was believed to have been spent securing new deals for the likes of Didier Drogba and Michael Essien, amongst others.
But Wilkins insists that there is no way of avoiding dealing with agents in modern football.
"I think they are something that are in the game and have been for a long while and we have to deal with it," the coach told reporters at a press conference today.
The Blues shelled out £9,562,223 to players' representatives last season, second only to Manchester City, who paid out around £12m, according to figure released by the Premier League.
Much of that was believed to have been spent securing new deals for the likes of Didier Drogba and Michael Essien, amongst others.
But Wilkins insists that there is no way of avoiding dealing with agents in modern football.
"I think they are something that are in the game and have been for a long while and we have to deal with it," the coach told reporters at a press conference today.
"The players obviously feel they are well worth having otherwise they wouldn't have them. Therefore it's something that's there and it's something that we have to get on with.
"I didn't have an agent but they are in our game and we will just cope with that situation.
"I didn't have a clue about the figures until I read them in the paper this morning. It's just something that happens in football and in all sports.
"When I was a manager I dealt with them with difficulty but it's just sitting down and having a conversation. If a player wants to sign for you then he will sign."
Meanwhile, Chelsea face Blackburn Rovers in the quarter finals of the League Cup on Wednesday night. Didier Drogba is likely to be rested, but Wilkins feels that the striker, a two-goal hero against Arsenal at the weekend, has never been in better form.
"You would have to put Didier up there at the moment with the best in the world," he added.
"The form that he's in at the moment is frightening. He's looking very strong and he's very fit and I think that's the difference at the moment – that he is very fit.
"Last year he had a couple of little problems with his knee but now he's very fit and playing some wonderful football."
As for whether the west Londoners will be taking things seriously against Rovers, Wilkins affirmed that it was a trophy they wanted to win.
"We'd love to be in the final," he asserted.
"It's the first competition of the season and it's one we want to win so we will be going all out to do that."
Zack Wilson, Goal.com UK
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