NIALL QUINN HAS criticised the current football transfer system, describing the excessive fees paid to players’ agents in recent times as “absurd”.
Paul Pogba is expected to officially seal a move from Juventus to Man United in the coming days, believed to be in the region of €120 million, with the 23-year-old star’s agent Mino Raiola reportedly set to receive approximately €25 million as part of the deal.
Quinn is among many to criticise the fee being awarded to Raiola, and the former Ireland international believes a cap should be set to prevent such astronomical figures re-occurring in future.
Whatever way the market’s gone, his agent, certainly, isn’t worth €25 million… The Premier League and the commercial realities of the world, they don’t want to cap players’ wages but something has to be done about capping agency fees. It’s absurd.”
And despite the expected signing of Pogba, along with other high-profile deals for Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the 49-year-old Sky Sports pundit feels incoming United boss Jose Mourinho has a difficult task on his hands as he attempts to help the Red Devils rediscover past glories.
I think Jose will have it all on because Jose is inheriting a different scenario at Manchester United. It’s been bleak for the last couple of years. Okay, there was a cup final but we all know Man United as a power have dropped and they’ve brought him in as the person to bring them up. He didn’t do it overnight at Chelsea. It took him a year to fit in. He’ll be expected to be bang up there. It’s going to be a tough gig for Jose in my opinion.
“I just think the great weight of expectation, which hurt Moyes and hurt Van Gaal, a respected man like Van Gaal, he is the right man to take on that expectation and that pressure but I just feel it’s really hard to bring United from where they were.
And I know if they make the Pogba signing over the next few days, the soldiers are there to go into battle for him but I just think it’s a big ask to bring United straight back out of the abyss to win the title. If he does it — and he’s done it before I know — it will be his greatest achievement in my book.”
Quinn, meanwhile, feels new Man City boss Pep Guardiola’s challenge is not as difficult as the one Mourinho faces.
Steve Bruce was over and I met him. We actually spoke about Guardiola and he is inheriting some very good players at Manchester City. You would have to back him to get them working harder than they have ever worked before. That was what he did with all those great stars he inherited at Barcelona.
“And if they are switched on and put a shift in, under him, which I expect them to do, and he gets a couple of signings right, they’re bang up there.”
But Quinn says that there is far more to this season’s Premier League than just the renewal of Mourinho and Guardiola’s memorable rivalry from their La Liga days
I’m really interested in (new Chelsea boss Antonio) Conte. I think he can bring some box-office stuff to the table, I’m sure, with his group, he’ll have them completely revved up. They’ll be a different outfit this year.
“And if Costa can get tougher, I think he will, I think we’ll see him trying to dominate again and doing everything he can just within the rules to make Chelsea bigger and better again.
There’s so much there. How is Arsene (Wenger) going to get on in the middle of this superstar league, with superstar managers, that it is?
“I’m looking forward to seeing how (Ronald Koeman) does. You know, on the quiet, he did the most amazing job at Southampton. And I think, if Leicester weren’t around last year, he’d have got a lot more credit than he did.
I’d say the same for West Ham as well with Bilic. Their story was fantastic last year. But Leicester put a big shadow over all those kind of clubs.
“So there’s more to it than just Guardiola and Jose.”
And finally, who does Quinn — who is set to feature along with presenter Hayley McQueen as part of Sky Sports’ coverage of their newly annouced 3pm kick-off games on Saturdays for Irish customers — think will finish in the top four?
It’s very hard to pick a top four but as push comes to shove, I think City will be there up around the top. I’m saying Conte will get Chelsea going. And United and Liverpool.
“That (leaves) Spurs, Leicester and Arsenal… Arsenal out of (the Champions League) for the first time — a close fifth. Don’t put any money on it.”
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