Marcel Brands has revealed how Everton owner Farhad Moshiri was once talked into doing a deal for Mario Balotelli by Mino Raiola.
Algemeen Dagblad have an interview with Brands today in which he discusses the ever-growing power of agents in the worldwide game.
He has plenty of experience dealing with them given his time in the game so far having been a director of football since 1998. Brands has held the role with RKC Waalwijk, AZ Alkmaar, PSV and Everton before becoming Chief Executive Officer at PSV.
It means he’s sat around the negotiating table with agents more than most and knows how to deal with them the right way.
That was something which was severely put to the test in his three years at Everton, where the Dutchman had to battle with multiple agendas when it came to transfers.
He himself was in charge of transfer business but often found he was being told to sign players by owner Farhad Moshiri, the manager and sometimes chairman Bill Kenwright as well.
It was a mess that eventually led to his departure and the troubles that Everton have had in recent years.
Those troubles could have been much worse, though, as Brands revealed Moshiri was talked into the signing of trouble itself, Mario Balotelli.
AD explains he ‘cites an anecdote’ in which he had just reached an agreement for Moise Kean, who was represented by Raiola. He was ‘sitting around the table’ with the agent, who then ‘threw a ball’ into the mix.
“‘Why not bring Mario Balotelli too, guys?’ said Mino,” AD reports Brands as saying.
“That seemed to Raiola to be a great striker duo for the Premier League. Both fast, skilled, strong and also complementary. After a while he had substantiated his story so beautifully that Moshiri also completely liked it.”
He rejected the idea, knowing he was already getting a tricky character in Kean and adding Balotelli to the mix ‘was practically asking for trouble’. He explained as much to Raiola, who it seems took it well.
“After the game, I went to eat something with Mino. ‘You’re beautiful you, Brands’, Mino said,” he added.
“Moshiri wanted to pull out his wallet. But I was responsible for the technical policy, for the composition of the selection.
“The great thing was: if you told Mino the truth to his face, he could handle it very well in the end. But he was super smart. If you let go of the steering wheel for a moment, he would sail in the other direction.”
